Spinning our wheels? Not! Part II

This week we are studying Peter's instructions for us, to prepare our minds. We talked about what an amazing thing the human brain is -- quite a masterpiece of the Master Creator!
And we said that it was up to each of us, what we used these great minds for...

A mind with nothing to do is rather useless, no? Do you remember those old television ads that intoned, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste"? It's very true. Our minds were created to have such huge capacity for doing things. Think of all that we do with our minds: creativity, design, problem solving, caring, compassion, art, music, nurturing and loving.  To waste all of that potential would be a shame.
What do we think about?
What do we dwell on?
In fact, what kind of thoughts are going through our heads each day? Do we think about doing some good we can do when we leave our nest, or are we thinking about how to speed through our chores and errands, and not interact with too many people....too time consuming. Are we anticipating our prayer time in the morning, or are we thinking about catching a few more winks?  Are we eager to open our Bibles and see what the Spirit has for us today, or are we thinking about what's on our grocery list? Are we looking forward to accomplishing something today, or are we thinking of how to avoid doing those chores until tomorrow....or the next day....or the next?
All of these involve our wonderful minds, but they are not too productive!

Kinda like spinning our wheels, and not getting anywhere!
Well, what SHOULD we be thinking about? Well, an easy answer right off the bat is this from Paul in Philippians....a no-brainer, right?

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

I'm telling you, years ago my grandma said there was lots of junk out there on the airwaves, and I think it's gotten worse since then....am I right? We can fill our thoughts and our minds with that junk, or we can think about things that are actually worth considering! Why should we waste our time on thoughts that are useless -- or even harmful -- if we can instead focus on better things?

Second, Peter tells us that we need to prepare our minds by being self-controlled. Believers are not puppets on strings. We aren't remote controlled, like a kid's car or robot toy. Our Father gave us free will to make our own choices, and those choices include not just how we think, but also what we say, and how we live. Oh, but what about the influences in the world? They definitely want to control us! Take a peek at some of the commercials today: the advertisers are doing their best to change the way we think. They want us to think that we can't do without the product, in the first place. And in the second place, their brand of product is WAY better than anyone else's brand -- you gotta buy this one!!  Don't worry about the price. Don't even worry about if you really need it!

The devil employs much the same tactics in our lives. He makes us think that "things" are what we need. That any method we use to get those things is A-OK. That it doesn't matter who we hurt, or if we impact our own lives negatively....it's the things you pile up that are important! It's the amount of power you can wield that matters!

If we pay attention to him (and to the commercials) we will not be controlled, we'll be out of control. We will be thinking, "I don't care what happens to anyone else!" and "Get out of my way, it's me, me, me that is important!"
Spinning our wheels in life. Oy vey.
Our thoughts and actions need to be both self-controlled, and Spirit controlled. Both? Yes. We need to have the Spirit's guidance and assistance to avoid being haphazard and unfocused. Here is where the rubber meets the road, folks: when we are focused and intentional in our thoughts, our actions will be, too. We will be Spirit-led, and we will take responsibility for our actions. A person who says what they intend to do and then completes what they said is much more likely to be respected. That's a much better testimony than careening through life, spinning our wheels, and not "walking the walk." We need to ensure that when we say we'll do something, we do it -- and we do it well!

Thirdly, Peter tells us to set our hope "on the grace to be given when Christ is revealed." When people see our lives, when they really look at us, what do they see? Unbeliever or Christian, when they see the way we conduct ourselves, what's most apparent? What are we striving for in our lives? Do they see people that seem bored? That seem mopey? That seem to be unfocused, or unjoyful, or without hope?
Oh no, I hope not!
When people look at our lives, they need to see people that are full of purpose, that are focused and have true joy in their lives. They need to see people that are living with hope!

We have a big responsibility, you and I. When people look at us, they should see Jesus. Christ is revealed to the world through us! Ever heard the phrase, "you may be the only Bible some folks read"? It's absolutely true! We need to be walking commercials for the facts: our sins can be forgiven, and our souls can be saved -- and are worth saving! That grace is there for anyone and everyone who will receive it! We can show this to others by the way we live....and that, my friends, is not spinning our wheels!

Join me tomorrow and we'll conclude our study of this portion of the verse.....