"As a man thinks, so is he."
Often in our time in history, we think of worship as singing, praising and lifting our arms up to God. But to worship God means to honor Him and to place Him as our lens of focus through which we see and live all of our lives.
We are told to worship Him with our mind. Filling our minds with truth, pondering Christ, cherishing that which is holy is a part of this worship. God admonishes us to "delight ourselves in His law." Psalm 1; to hide His word in our hearts and minds; to think true thoughts.
We are told to think only on those things which are worthy of Him:
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
What do you feed your mind on every day? Are you reading noble stories? Are you filling your mind with God's word? With truth? Are you rejecting thoughts that would lead you to bitterness or strife or worldliness?
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
II Corinthians 10: 5
Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ--take every wrong thought and make it a prisoner.
Worshipping God with our mind takes intention. It takes investment. It takes time.
I have never met a deeply spiritual leader who did not think deeply, clearly and well. My spiritual mentors are those who cause me to think more highly of God. They are those who sharpen me with their ponderings of God, Christ, thoughts of eternity, truth, doctrine.
You cannot build your children into those who are worthy of God, excellent in all of their ways, unless you also invest in their minds. The foundations of their thinking patterns, vocabulary, ideas must be cultivated. In the cultivating of your children's minds, when you become a steward of what they think, your own life is enriched. And so worshipping God with our minds requires a commitment, a plan, an intention.
We must mind our minds if we are to be worthy stewards of truth.
Evaluate your own thoughts today. Does my mind cherish God and treat Him as holy? Do I regularly feed my thoughts on truth? on greatness? on what is beautiful?
What do I need to do to worship Him with my mind in a more worthy way? What thoughts are causing me to sin? What do I need to confess?
May God be praised and may we grow into His likeness as we pattern our thoughts after His.