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August 4
A Biblical Mentality
For reading & meditation - 1 Thessalonians 2
"You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure." (v. 1)
Today we examine yet another principle which we must develop in our lives if we are to become strong at the broken places of failure: cultivate a biblical perspective on everything. You may be familiar with the passage before us today, but I want to emphasize several points from it which help us to see how effectively Paul believed and practiced spiritual principles. Firstly, his words and preaching, despite strong public opposition, were not the result of his own thinking - they were the result of the gospel of God (v. 2). Secondly, the very foundation of his life and character were based on the truth of the gospel (v. 3). Thirdly, he considered God's Word as something "entrusted" to him, and it gave him such security that he didn't feel the need to compromise or become a "people pleaser" (v. 4). It may sound old-fashioned and naive to some, but I believe with all my heart that the secret of surviving life's crushing defeats and blows is to develop a spiritual and biblical perspective on everything. "It is blessed," wrote C. H. Spurgeon, "to eat into the very soul of the Bible until, at last, you come to talk in Scriptural language, and your spirit is flavored with the words of the Lord, so that your blood is Bibline and the very essence of the Bible flows from you." Descriptive, isn't it? I find this idea of being committed to a biblical mentality so rare among modern-day Christians that I sometimes tremble inwardly with concern. Someone said, "Time spent with the Bible knits up the ravelled sleeve of care." It does.
Prayer:
O Father, help me, also, "to eat into the very soul of the Bible ... until my spirit is flavored with the words of the Lord." Give me a biblical mentality. For Jesus' sake I pray. Amen.
For Further Study
Psalms 119:97-104;Joshua 1:8; 2 Corinthians 10:1-5; Romans 12:2
1. How can we cultivate a biblical perspective?
2. How is our mind renewed?
