Nougat 24

Are you familiar with the expressions, ’my mind told me…’, or ‘if I’d followed my mind, (I would never go wrong)’? Those were fairly popular phrases in my younger days. And truly, our mind is one of the most powerful parts of our humanity. Yet, it genuinely is invisible. We choose what lands and remains on it and while what we say and do reflect a bit of it, it’s somewhat different from the rest of us, for the mind also helps determine our spiritual journey. It is no wonder then that we’re encouraged to love God with our Heart, Soul and Mind; it’s that integral to our lives. Today’s Holy Nougat also invites us have our minds actively engaged.

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” Philippians 2:5 NLT LT‬‬

This text reads ‘Let the understanding be in you …’ in some translations; and my preference is, ’Let This mind be in you …’, as it captures the essence of what the command, hope, and expectation is: Having the thought-life and attitude and compassion and understanding that Christ had.

In the original Greek, the word used is phroneó. While transliterated mind or understanding, J. Thayer a biblical Greek scholar, suggests that phroneó originates from phrḗn, which refers to the the midriff or diaphragm; the parts around the heart,”. For me, it then is having a ‘heart under-standing’ that’s like Christs. Strongs’ Bible commentary further suggests that it’s an inner perspective demonstrated in our outward behavior.

Again, it goes to the aforementioned idea that our minds cannot be seen, but the manifestations suggest what is there. To have the mind within us as is in Christ is therefore to yield our innermost to Christ; so that our outermost draws others to know Christ. Yielding our minds to Christ makes us pliable to the Spirit of God, (got it – mind … phrḗn ; and the phrḗn is in the region of our diaphragm which regulates our breath ie spirit?).

So while different attitudes may seek to have precedence in any situation we face, we can determine to allow priority to God’s Spirit, even when it is hard to do so or feels unnecessary. Then, if we follow our minds which are yielded to God’s Spirit, we definitely won’t go wrong!

May Christ’s phrḗn be in each of us, today and always.

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May all we seek be found in Christ