31 Days :: Day 29 ~ Does it do any good?

Mark 12:29-31 ~ Jesus answered, The most important is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. (ESV)

Have you ever heard this said about anyone? "He's so heavenly minded he's no earthly good."

Yeah. Me neither.

For most of us, that saying would be better reversed . . . She's so earthly minded she's no heavenly good.

Ouch.

Renewing our minds is not just an exercise in logic or reasoning or discipline. A mind that is truly renewed will start giving you some radical assignments.

• Maybe you should go on that short-term mission trip.
• Maybe you should help out at the homeless shelter.
• Maybe you should give more of that money (that you now realize isn't actually yours) to further God's Kingdom.
• Maybe you should ask your - friend, parent, sibling, spouse, coworker - for forgiveness.
• Maybe you should invite your neighbors over for dinner and get to know them.

As we discussed several weeks ago, this isn't about adding to your to-do list. This is about re-purposing your to-do list.

On the heels of telling us to love God with everything we have, Jesus follows with "and love your neighbor as yourself" and tells us there are no commandments greater.

If I can look across the cul-de-sac and not be moved by the faces I see - faces of people who need Jesus - then I'm not fulfilling this most important command.

Only a mind, continually renewed, will be able to look past the yapping dogs, crowing roosters, too high grass, and annoyingly parked cars, and see a soul beloved of God. A soul Jesus died for. A soul the Holy Spirit may, right now, be softening to the Truth that you have. And you have it ready because you've been dwelling on it. And when the Holy Spirit opens the door, you can walk right through it.

As we move forward, we have lots of head knowledge. Maybe you've learned something new this month. Maybe you've been reminded of things you used to know but had forgotten.

My prayer is that as I (and you!) focus on daily renewing my mind, that it will spill out. That I will splash grace everywhere I go. That I'll see what God is up to and that I'll be a willing participant in His plan.

Please, Abba, may it do some good.