What's On Your Mind?

A man who played a pivotal role in my upbringing would randomly and periodically (annoyingly) ask me, “What’s on your mind?” I’d often respond “nothing”, either because I literally wasn’t thinking about anything in particular, or I didn’t care to share what I was thinking about. He would firmly reply “Get something on your mind”, and as a boy, those words shook me, but as a man, I cherish them. That man, Burrell Jones, recently passed away. God bless his memory.  

I find myself reminding myself of his words every now and then, and I now understand the importance of his instruction. I now strive to be conscious of the thoughts that I think, and the fact that I’m thinking. While there may be times when we give our minds a break from the tiresome and burdensome realities of our existence, the truth is that we should practice the instructions that Mr. Burrell was trying to teach me, to get and keep something on our minds.

Since we live in the information age, and there is so much to think about, it’s important to wisely choose what we think about. I encourage you to think about God’s Word and both its implications and ramifications on your life. Find scripture that you can rehearse within the corridors of your mind and soul. Let God’s Word minister to your fears, uncertainties, pains, worries, and frustrations. Give God’s Word space in your soul to encourage your dreams and enliven your faith. I’m certain that you will be pleasantly surprised by the positive effect that thinking about God’s Word has on you. Consider this: God’s word caused worlds to be created from nothing. Imagine the untapped potential in your life for the creative force of God to cause you to become what God created you to be, and how often we forfeit this potential because we concentrate on so many other things, all of which God’s Word has the power to control and change.

The act of contemplating and rehearsing God’s Word is meditation. In his book “Celebration of Discipline”, Richard Foster defines Christian meditation as “the ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word.” Simply put, when we think about scripture, it tunes our ears and our hearts to what God’s voice is so that we can differentiate between God’s voice, the voice of others, and our own voice. Naturally, the more you’re around an individual, the more familiar you are with their voice, to the point where you don’t even have to see them to recognize their voice, and so it goes spiritually. The more you meditate on God’s word, the more you will recognize God’s voice.

Psalm 1:1 says “Blessed is the one….whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and whose leaf does not wither- whatever they do prospers.” You see that? The ones who consistently meditate on God’s Word prosper in WHATEVER THEY DO! In other words, meditation is the prerequisite for godly success. I invite you to ask for God’s help in changing what you think about by praying this short prayer: “Lord, plant me in the fruitful place where my leaves won’t wither, and all that I do prospers because I mediate on your Word day and night. Show me what you want me to think about”.

So I ask, in the midst of your daily responsibilities and routines, “What’s On Your Mind”? I encourage you to create space for God in your soul by thinking about God’s Word. Think about God’s Word more. It’s going to change your life.