Day 2738 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Romans 8:6 NIV

What we allow to consume our minds controls our lives. You see, our minds are some very powerful things. They work basically non-stop. Always thinking, always figuring, always planning, and plotting, and dreaming. Our minds control our actions. They dictate our words. They are the very foundation of who we are and how we live and the choices we make. And so we need to be extremely careful about what we allow to take up space in our minds.

But all too often we just kind of float through life simply assuming the best and not worrying too much about anything in particular. We've been dumbed down into thinking that most things are for the most part mostly harmless and insignificant. We've bought this idea that it's okay to take everything lightly and not worry about things like consequences and mistakes and punishments. We just want to live this wild, carefree, and careless kind of life that doesn't require us to be responsible and intelligent.

Don't get me wrong, that would be far easier. And when we look around at the world around us, it’s obviously more popular than trying to live upright and controlled lives in this broken place. People everywhere have accepted this idea that they can do anything they want, say anything they want, believe anything they want without ever having to fear the consequences. If we could really just bounce through life not having to worry about anything or take anything serious then there wouldn't be any pressure to do what's right. We could simply run wild and never have to stop to consider the cost of our actions or the consequences of our choices.

But friends, I've got some bad news for anyone who has chosen to embrace that mindset: God gave us these minds for a reason.

There can't be freedom without responsibility. Can't have freewill without consequences. So as much as we'd all probably prefer an easier path where our choices didn't really matter all that much, that kind of fairy tale just isn't happening. God gave us our freedom, our freewill, our ability to make choices because in doing so, we become the ones who are responsible for the lives we live. Nobody else can or should or will ever answer for the things we do and the mistakes we make and the things that we allow ourselves to focus on or consume.

We need to maybe take life a little more seriously than we usually do. The fact is that we are a result of the choices we make and the things that we allow ourselves to focus on. We are the sum of every choice, good or bad. And one day, we will answer for those choices and the results that they gave us. It may be easy to laugh it off or shrug away the idea of responsibility while we're down here seemingly a million miles and a thousand years from that day of reckoning. But just because we don't want to think about it doesn't mean that it's not still coming. And getting closer every single day.

Friends, I understand that responsibility isn't one of those things that our world has chosen to embrace as fun. But as people who are aware of the gravity of our choices, we should know better than continuing to live like the fallen world around us has chosen to live. The Bible makes it perfectly clear that we are no longer to live as this world lives, to no longer desire the material things that so many others live for, and to live our lives differently now that we've found Christ and started this journey of learning His ways and humbly surrendering to His will.

As we discussed yesterday, the more we give to Jesus the more we get in return. Be it peace, or joy, or hope, or gratitude, or trust, He fills our lives with His goodness. And He does so more and more as we set our hearts to ridding our lives of everything that doesn't bring us those good things. That's one of the biggest parts of this Christian life that we claim we're living. It's a daily choice to put Christ first, seek out His wisdom, grow in His truth, and strip away anything and everything that is trying to hold us back and prevent the growing of our faith.

One of the best ways to grow closer to Christ is to stop focusing on this flesh. Stop worrying so much about temporary things. Stop giving so much time and attention to worldliness. Stop worrying so much about how we feel about our circumstances and learn instead to find the joy and purpose in whatever it is that we're going through. Stop living according to the desires of our flesh and learn to put Christ on the throne rather than the other things we've long thought we wanted.

Again, it's all choice. And we alone are responsible for our choices. Every single one of them. Thankfully, God saw fit to offer us a bit of His wisdom and guidance in Scripture and even more through the Holy Spirit. Through continued devotion and perseverance and humility, we learn something truly priceless. Discernment. We learn to judge between things that are good and holy and helpful and those that are dangerous and deadly and hollow. We learn to cut away everything that isn't from God so that we have more room in our hearts and our minds and our lives for things that are from Him and that push us closer to Him.

Friends, what consumes our minds controls our lives. As long as we keep focusing on the things of this world that are desired by this flesh and sold by this society, we will never find happiness or peace or fulfillment or any other good thing. That’s because minds governed by the flesh never have enough. Living our lives always focused on ourselves, our desires, our circumstances brings a mindset of want, unhappiness, and dissatisfaction. But when we fix our minds on Christ we find this reminder that we have everything we could ever hope to find!

So what are you going to choose? What is going to rule your mind and therefore your life? Will you maintain roots planted in this worldly soil? Will you continue the never-ending always unfulfilling journey of material desires and fleshly concerns? Will you continue to accept death through things like discontent and material want and personal unhappiness? Or will you finally realize that trying to find happiness outside of Christ is a worthless pursuit?

Friends, as we discussed yesterday, peace is not only possible but it's actually quite easy to find. It's found in giving everything to Christ and allowing Him to teach us how to live lives outside of the confines of what's been considered normal in a fallen world. As long as anything else takes up room or time in our minds, we'll never know the fullness of His peace. But if we're willing to forsake everything this world offers and everything it has taught us and learn to seek Him alone, then we will find every sort of goodness that we could ever hope to find.

But only you can make that choice.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold