The Mind of Christ
A reflection from 1 Corinthians 2
But we have the mind of Christ. —1 Corinthians 2:16 (ESV)
When I was a young adult, I struggled with truthfulness. I had a habit of stretching the truth a little, adding details to a story to make it more interesting, even though those details were false. I also tended to tell little white lies to make myself look better. As I began to grow in my faith, the Spirit started to convict me. And, I started catching myself saying things that weren’t true.
I noticed that quite often my initial response would be just a little false. So, I would have to correct myself.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said I skipped lunch. I went through McDonald’s and got a burger.”
It bothered me that my lips so frequently said untrue things before my brain even had time to catch up! But it revealed something about my heart. Jesus said, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45). My heart was false, and that falseness was overflowing out of my mouth.
Thankfully, God was working on my heart! Over time, I had to correct myself less and less. Gradually, as the Spirit transformed my heart, my mouth began to speak truthfully—even before my brain had a chance to catch up!
This is what it means to “be spiritual,” or to “have the mind of Christ.” It is my goal in everything I do, not just in how I speak, to be honest and have integrity. I want my words, my actions, and my attitudes to honor Christ without having to think about it. It’s great to stop and ask, “What would Jesus do?” We should make that a daily habit. But I want to catch myself already doing what Jesus would do before I have to ask.
Now, I’m growing—but nowhere near perfect, so let me close with the Apostle Paul’s words to the Philippians:
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)
Press on toward the goal. And I hope you catch yourself doing what Jesus would, and find yourself pleasantly surprised!