By Fred Van Dyke
Read: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16
“’For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (v. 16)
“Just who do you think you are?” is an angry question, directed toward a person who thinks they are better than us. We don’t like people who think more highly of themselves than they ought to think.
Sometimes, people seem to approach Jesus this way.
Many have offered their views on what we should think of Jesus. I ask you to enter this series of devotionals asking a slightly different question: What did Jesus think of himself?
This means more than investigating the claims of Jesus. What a person says about themselves is helpful. What they do provides even greater insight.
Psychologists tell us that every person struggles to understand their own identity. In Jesus we do not find that struggle. Instead, he demonstrated a well-defined sense of himself that directed both his words and actions.
We can learn so much from the Gospels about Jesus’s “state of mind.” It prompted him to say and do things others didn’t expect. If we can understand at least some things Jesus understood about himself, we can better determine how we should view Jesus. We may discover that Jesus has more faith in himself than we are used to giving him in our own lives.
As you pray, ask Jesus to provide you with insight into his own thoughts. Remember his promise, “whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). Ask him for insights into his own mind so you may begin to form your mind in the same way.
—————
Fred Van Dyke is a conservation biologist dedicated to the care for God’s creation. He is also the author of two books on faith and environmental stewardship.
Read: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16
“’For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (v. 16)
“Just who do you think you are?” is an angry question, directed toward a person who thinks they are better than us. We don’t like people who think more highly of themselves than they ought to think.
Sometimes, people seem to approach Jesus this way.
Many have offered their views on what we should think of Jesus. I ask you to enter this series of devotionals asking a slightly different question: What did Jesus think of himself?
This means more than investigating the claims of Jesus. What a person says about themselves is helpful. What they do provides even greater insight.
Psychologists tell us that every person struggles to understand their own identity. In Jesus we do not find that struggle. Instead, he demonstrated a well-defined sense of himself that directed both his words and actions.
We can learn so much from the Gospels about Jesus’s “state of mind.” It prompted him to say and do things others didn’t expect. If we can understand at least some things Jesus understood about himself, we can better determine how we should view Jesus. We may discover that Jesus has more faith in himself than we are used to giving him in our own lives.
As you pray, ask Jesus to provide you with insight into his own thoughts. Remember his promise, “whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). Ask him for insights into his own mind so you may begin to form your mind in the same way.
—————
Fred Van Dyke is a conservation biologist dedicated to the care for God’s creation. He is also the author of two books on faith and environmental stewardship.
