Boundaries of the Mind
Colossians 3:1-3 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Ah, remember the days of getting the kids cleaned up to go out somewhere? We would get everyone changed, washed up and ready to go when we’d suddenly realize someone went back outside to play...in the dirt. Why?! Well, although WE wanted to go out for dinner, it’s likely their heart was not in it. They had values that drew them back to getting dirty again. It’s much like our spiritual lives, isn’t it?
When we make the decision to follow Christ, we make a shift in our affections, our values and our pursuits. We leave those things that stained our hearts and minds and we begin pursuing God and His heart. It’s no longer about ‘us’ but about Him. We forfeit ‘self’ because the pursuit of what pleased us before Christ no longer captivates us...in fact, we likely find it empty.
But the draw, the temptation to go back to the old life is always there. We are sinful, fallen people and as much as we love the Lord, the fleshly part within us battles for our affections and will always try and lead us into temptation and back into sin. Romans 7 states it well:
Romans 7:15, 18-25 “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.”
And where does the struggle take place? Satan is subtle and cunning. He attacks the heart and mind and they become the battlefield of spiritual warfare. Because of that, we especially need to set boundaries that protect and guard us in those areas. We need to seek Christ and His glory through our thoughts, words and actions.
Colossians 1:1-3 provide great directives and boundaries for our lives. Because we’ve been raised with Christ, we need to set our hearts on things above. That’s an intentional action on our part to love the Lord and choose to pursue what honors Him. Everything around us will battle for our affections- we must choose and pursue Christ.
We also need to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. We’ve been changed!! Why would we go back and wallow in the things that soiled our hearts and minds? And it’s not a ‘one and done’ effort. It requires daily attention, commitment and intention. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16) Let’s embrace that daily renewal, let’s put boundaries in place and commit to follow Jesus well.
Today, let’s pray that our sons and daughters put healthy boundaries in place to guard their hearts and minds in Jesus. Let’s pray that they set their thoughts and affections on things above so that Jesus has priority in their lives and their spiritual growth reflects His presence and preeminence in their lives.
Pray without ceasing