God Speaking

“Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”

(Luke 24: 45)

Just recently my husband and I were studying the last chapter of the book of Luke and many sermons have been written about this wonderful story of Jesus travelling beside two disciples who were very downcast after Jesus had been crucified as they had not yet heard of his resurrection. They did not recognise the Risen Jesus, but were astounded as this person they thought was a stranger, began to explain what the Scriptures meant and how they all pointed to the fact that the Messiah had come in the form of Jesus Christ.

Even though I have read this chapter many times, this time of reading I was struck by the phrase, “he opened their minds.”  I started to think more deeply as to what that meant and how important it was for us today to have an open mind to absorb what God is saying to us through Scripture.

We speak about, the mind, in all different ways in our present day

• this is a mindless task
• he is a doubled minded man
• I cannot make up my mind
• she must be out of her mind to do that
• I think I am losing my mind.

I often return to the Psalmists for their wisdom and they grasped how important it was to keep their minds free of wrong thoughts/ wrong ideas/ mindless and unthinking useless thoughts.

“Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.” (Psalm 26: 2 – 3)

Jesus himself summed up the Commandments in two important ones and the first emphasised that we love the Lord God not only with our hearts and souls, but with our minds as well.

“Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”” (Matthew 22: 37)

The dictionary describes the mind as a place of thought/ feeling/ purpose/intention

It is probably the most private place in our bodies and I must be honest, sometimes when I am thinking ugly thoughts about somebody I am glad they cannot hear them, but when uneasy thoughts invade my mind and doubts and fears overtake me, I know that if I open my mind to the Holy Spirit, he can deal with them so much better than I can.

Paul assures us in his letter to the Romans that we can be renewed repeatedly in our minds. We don’t need to be trapped into worldly ways, if we open our minds to the blessing He wants to bestow on us.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12: 2)