The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 14 December 2023 – The Setting Of Your Mind
Click HERE to Read Previous MESSAGES
TOPIC: The Setting Of Your Mind
READ: Matthew 16:13-28 (NKJV)
- When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
- So they said, “Some [say] John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
- He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
- Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
- Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed [this] to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
- “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
- “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
- Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
- From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
- Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
- But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
- Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
- “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
- “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
- “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
- “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
THE MESSAGE:
For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (verse 23). From Peter’s human perspective, the Messiah’s mission did not, and indeed should not include death. How could Jesus, the Messiah die? In Peter’s human reasoning, that would be defeat; that would be failure. In this, Satan was trying to hinder the salvation of humankind. And as far as Jesus was concerned, Peter, in doing this, had become a hindrance to Jesus’ mission on earth.
It is interesting to me that the reason Peter was seen as hindrance to the purpose of God for Christ was that he was ‘setting’ his mind on the things of man. Certainly, the way God reasons is different from the way man reasons. Except we see things from Heaven’s perspective, we would hinder God’s purpose by our ‘earthly’ reasoning. How do you view life? What is your view about the challenges you are presently going through? What is your view of beauty? What is your mind about wealth? Is your mind set on the things of God or man? If your mind is on the things of man, you will be an offence to God; you will hinder His purpose. But if your mind is set on the things of God, you will achieve God’s purpose.
PRAYER: May the mind of Christ, my Saviour rule my heart in everything.
