Let His Mind be in you
Treasure of the Heart
(#237 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
Watch over your heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the sources of life. (Proverbs 4:23)
Hebrew is a language of action. Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our Almighty, Yahweh is One! You shall love Yahweh your Mighty One with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) The first word of this key verse, quoted by Yahshua Himself in Mark 12:29, is very revealing. “Hear” in Hebrew, shamah, pronounced (shaw-mah’), implies to hear, listen to, and to obey. Moses and Yahshua are not recommending an intellectual exercise; the instruction is to “hear and obey” the command. It involves a response: it requires action to be fulfilled. We are supposed to think about what we hear from Yahweh, and then we are supposed to do something about it.
Heart and mind—these are one and the same in the Scriptures. The heart of a matter is one of thought and it is from the mind that life manifests. The thoughts of a man precede his actions. Hear and do! However, the heart of a man can devise both righteousness and wickedness. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45) So, actions literally materialize from the treasure of a man’s heart, or in other words, the thoughts upon which he dwells.
Be warned loved one; the Word of the Mighty One will judge the thoughts and intents of your heart (Hebrews 4:12). With the tongue we praise our Mighty One, and with it we curse human beings, who have been created in the Mighty One’s image. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. (James 3:9-10) Therefore, you must guard your heart (mind) with all your strength. How so? Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to the Mighty One; and the peace of the Almighty, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts [center of intellect, intentions] and souls [character in consciousness] through the Messiah Yahshua. (Philippians 4:6-7)
But, that is just the beginning; there is an even higher calling, beyond guarding your center of intellect and character. It is a place where your awareness of impure thoughts is cleansed altogether. How much more, then, will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to Yahweh, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living Mighty One! (Hebrews 9:14) This is a place in which even the thought of sinning is not conceived.
Yahshua is our model; though He was tempted (constantly aware of self desire), He never conceived [thinking “not my will”] and therefore never even entertained evil desires (James 1:15). His mind remained pure through utter self denial and you are promised the same inheritance loved one. For this reason the Messiah is the mediator of a renewed Covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:15) You have the mind of the Messiah. (1 Corinthians 2:16) In Him, you have been called to righteousness and have been given the power, through the Spirit, to reach this high calling. He has done His part; the rest is up to you. No one who is born of the Mighty One will continue to sin, because Yahweh’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of the Mighty One. (1 John 3:9)
Life springs forth from the heart (center of intellect) and therefore makes the soul (feelings, entire consciousness) merry.