2nd June 2021 - Part 29 – Pathways to Intimacy with God (VI)
'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
Matthew 22:37
Welcome to our sixth, and last, reflective thought in this series of devotionals entitled Pathways to Intimacy with God. This week, we are going to learn about another spiritual temperament that leads us to a more intimate time with our heavenly Father. In this sixth reflection I will like to explore with you the spiritual temperament of loving God with the MIND.
In June 2001, the leadership of the church where I was a pastor at the time decided to hold a week of evangelism where for seven consecutive evenings the Gospel will be preached by different prominent Christian pastors, scientist and apologists. The aim was to invite people from the community to hear the different aspects of God’s Word and ask questions from the experts in the field. Among the speakers invited where John Weaver (Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Oxford University), Adrian Plass (Christian comedian and apologist), Roy Peacock (Christian scientist, professor in aeronautics and Radio 4 speaker) and Jeff Lucas (pastor, broadcaster and writer).
On the Wednesday evening of that week, it was Professor’s Roy Peacock turn to speak on how science helps our faith and belief in God. He spoke for about 75 minutes and then he allowed time for questions at the end of the session. From his address that evening and his answers that he gave people all I understood was but a few words like… Jesus, Holy Spirit, faith, love, sun moon and stars. Very little of Professor Roy’s apologetic talk enhanced my faith or nourished my soul yet that evening four people in the audience committed their lives to Christ or renew their faith in Him. Among them were two mathematicians, one scientist from Gloucestershire University and a bank manager from Bristol. God used the professionalism, scientific knowledge and expertise of Professor Peacock to speak directly to the mind of such people. One of the new converts that evening described the experience as “scientific stepping stones that helped move my faith from the mind to the heart”.
In one of his recent interviews Professor Roy Peacock said: “the great scientists of history, not entirely, but to a large extent, have been Christians; not just in name but in their experience and life. I could quote people like Galileo, whose private papers I've had access to, he clearly had a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. Or people like Kepler, who as an astronomer discovered a thing called Keplerian ellipses, which indicates how planets go around the sun and things like that. All these people were Christians. Michael Faraday, the man who sort of laid down the principles by which we now have electric light, and his successor, James Clark Maxwell, were both vibrant Christians.”
When intellectuals’ minds are awakened, when their quest for God is addressed, when they understand something new about God, His creation and His mystery, then their adoration and love for God is set free. Just as a contemplative person can spend hours praying and being silent, so an intellectual person can spend long sessions, contemplating, asking question, challenging every thought and concept. For me personally, I have found that I need to have my mind stimulated with Scripture and books (after giving away over 1500 books I still have in my library over 1000!!!). As a pastor, if I am not learning something new about God, my relationship with Him suffers greatly.
The trouble is that our culture does not always think of the mind when it thinks of love and devotion. The Bible is very clear on the fact that our mind is one of the key elements that we can use to love God. Pastor Dallas Willard says that “the rational mind is primary in discipleship, because it provides the means by which we choose what we do and who we become”. Jesus engaged minds by asking questions. “Do you think [that]…?” (Matt. 26:53; Lk. 10:36, 12:51, 13:2, 13:4), “What do you think?” (Matt. 17:25, 18:12, 21:28, 22:42), “Do not think [that]” (Matt. 5:17; Jn 5:45), and the condemnatory “because you think that” (Jn 5:39). Jesus challenged his listeners to think on these things (of God), and not on those (of man). The apostle Paul spoke of will and mind when he wrote, “Set your minds on things above, and not on earthly things” (Col. 3:2).
In the blessing to the tribe of Levi, Moses included “may you teach your precepts to Jacob and your law to Israel”. The main function of the Levites was to study and teach, a great example of loving God with the mind. Solomon showed his love for God by using his intellect, especially, when tough decisions were required. When I lead worship in church, I like to use words of wisdom as a call to worship i.e. Psalm 49. Over sixty per cent of the Book of Proverbs reminds us how important a learnt and educated mind is for us to love God (Proverbs 1:5-7). Our culture tells us to seek fame, fortune and power. The Bible encourages us to pursue wisdom and understanding. Jesus first and then apostle Paul understood that the mind as well as the heart, had to be transformed.
Apostle Paul warned young Timothy that his intellect must be used to the glory of God to promote peace and harmony and not conflict and futile arguments (1Timothy 6:4-5). The challenge for someone who predominantly loves God with all his/her mind is to gently share the truth and not seek winning an argument at the cost of losing a relationship. Still, one of the greatest dangers for those who love God and seek intimacy with Him through this spiritual temperament is that they tend to get their sense of self-worth from being able to demonstrate their intellectual superiority.
CONCLUSION
This now brings me to the end of these series of devotionals (and to the end of our The Word on Wednesday… I do hope you found all of these 30 weeks of devotionals beneficial). Like me, you probably have more than two of these temperaments in your life that you find helpful in your relationship with God. Those temperaments evolve, change and even get replaced over time. This is normal, as our relationship with God changes and develops as we mature in Christ.
Our relationship with God is very much like a garden. We can plant seeds, flowers and vegetables in it but if we stop caring for them on a daily basis then they will wither and eventually die. Some of us live with the mistaken impression that our faith needs only to be planted (believe in God) but not tended (developed). My hope and prayer is that you will use these spiritual temperaments as tools to attend to the fruits of God’s Spirit in the garden of your soul. Through them, you will be able to clear the weedy and dark path that leads to a beautiful garden where you will see the light of God’s hope and feel the warmth and embrace of His Fatherly love. God gives us the garden plot, the seeds and the tools; but it is our responsibility to plant, care and maintain a beautiful garden of love, intimacy and fellowship with Him.
Emilian
In June 2001, the leadership of the church where I was a pastor at the time decided to hold a week of evangelism where for seven consecutive evenings the Gospel will be preached by different prominent Christian pastors, scientist and apologists. The aim was to invite people from the community to hear the different aspects of God’s Word and ask questions from the experts in the field. Among the speakers invited where John Weaver (Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Oxford University), Adrian Plass (Christian comedian and apologist), Roy Peacock (Christian scientist, professor in aeronautics and Radio 4 speaker) and Jeff Lucas (pastor, broadcaster and writer).
On the Wednesday evening of that week, it was Professor’s Roy Peacock turn to speak on how science helps our faith and belief in God. He spoke for about 75 minutes and then he allowed time for questions at the end of the session. From his address that evening and his answers that he gave people all I understood was but a few words like… Jesus, Holy Spirit, faith, love, sun moon and stars. Very little of Professor Roy’s apologetic talk enhanced my faith or nourished my soul yet that evening four people in the audience committed their lives to Christ or renew their faith in Him. Among them were two mathematicians, one scientist from Gloucestershire University and a bank manager from Bristol. God used the professionalism, scientific knowledge and expertise of Professor Peacock to speak directly to the mind of such people. One of the new converts that evening described the experience as “scientific stepping stones that helped move my faith from the mind to the heart”.
In one of his recent interviews Professor Roy Peacock said: “the great scientists of history, not entirely, but to a large extent, have been Christians; not just in name but in their experience and life. I could quote people like Galileo, whose private papers I've had access to, he clearly had a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. Or people like Kepler, who as an astronomer discovered a thing called Keplerian ellipses, which indicates how planets go around the sun and things like that. All these people were Christians. Michael Faraday, the man who sort of laid down the principles by which we now have electric light, and his successor, James Clark Maxwell, were both vibrant Christians.”
When intellectuals’ minds are awakened, when their quest for God is addressed, when they understand something new about God, His creation and His mystery, then their adoration and love for God is set free. Just as a contemplative person can spend hours praying and being silent, so an intellectual person can spend long sessions, contemplating, asking question, challenging every thought and concept. For me personally, I have found that I need to have my mind stimulated with Scripture and books (after giving away over 1500 books I still have in my library over 1000!!!). As a pastor, if I am not learning something new about God, my relationship with Him suffers greatly.
The trouble is that our culture does not always think of the mind when it thinks of love and devotion. The Bible is very clear on the fact that our mind is one of the key elements that we can use to love God. Pastor Dallas Willard says that “the rational mind is primary in discipleship, because it provides the means by which we choose what we do and who we become”. Jesus engaged minds by asking questions. “Do you think [that]…?” (Matt. 26:53; Lk. 10:36, 12:51, 13:2, 13:4), “What do you think?” (Matt. 17:25, 18:12, 21:28, 22:42), “Do not think [that]” (Matt. 5:17; Jn 5:45), and the condemnatory “because you think that” (Jn 5:39). Jesus challenged his listeners to think on these things (of God), and not on those (of man). The apostle Paul spoke of will and mind when he wrote, “Set your minds on things above, and not on earthly things” (Col. 3:2).
In the blessing to the tribe of Levi, Moses included “may you teach your precepts to Jacob and your law to Israel”. The main function of the Levites was to study and teach, a great example of loving God with the mind. Solomon showed his love for God by using his intellect, especially, when tough decisions were required. When I lead worship in church, I like to use words of wisdom as a call to worship i.e. Psalm 49. Over sixty per cent of the Book of Proverbs reminds us how important a learnt and educated mind is for us to love God (Proverbs 1:5-7). Our culture tells us to seek fame, fortune and power. The Bible encourages us to pursue wisdom and understanding. Jesus first and then apostle Paul understood that the mind as well as the heart, had to be transformed.
Apostle Paul warned young Timothy that his intellect must be used to the glory of God to promote peace and harmony and not conflict and futile arguments (1Timothy 6:4-5). The challenge for someone who predominantly loves God with all his/her mind is to gently share the truth and not seek winning an argument at the cost of losing a relationship. Still, one of the greatest dangers for those who love God and seek intimacy with Him through this spiritual temperament is that they tend to get their sense of self-worth from being able to demonstrate their intellectual superiority.
CONCLUSION
This now brings me to the end of these series of devotionals (and to the end of our The Word on Wednesday… I do hope you found all of these 30 weeks of devotionals beneficial). Like me, you probably have more than two of these temperaments in your life that you find helpful in your relationship with God. Those temperaments evolve, change and even get replaced over time. This is normal, as our relationship with God changes and develops as we mature in Christ.
Our relationship with God is very much like a garden. We can plant seeds, flowers and vegetables in it but if we stop caring for them on a daily basis then they will wither and eventually die. Some of us live with the mistaken impression that our faith needs only to be planted (believe in God) but not tended (developed). My hope and prayer is that you will use these spiritual temperaments as tools to attend to the fruits of God’s Spirit in the garden of your soul. Through them, you will be able to clear the weedy and dark path that leads to a beautiful garden where you will see the light of God’s hope and feel the warmth and embrace of His Fatherly love. God gives us the garden plot, the seeds and the tools; but it is our responsibility to plant, care and maintain a beautiful garden of love, intimacy and fellowship with Him.
Emilian