I Ain’t No Moron!

Through the past 5 weeks I have been in INTENSE training. My old job required great physical strength which I just was not able to endure, besides the pay could not keep me afloat, and the hours late and sporadic. So, I began to pray. I prayed very specifically. “Lord, please give me a job that is: Mon.- Fri. and in an office setting, not physically demanding, and pays at least $10.00 an hour (starting)”  God in His most Sovereign capacity, flowed out of His SENSE of HUMOR to fulfill this.  I Love You God!

I am now being trained to be a Quickbooks technical support specialist. WHAT?  My role puts me on the receiving end of questions. Questions that folks are paying big money for strong professional answers regarding their bookkeeping problems.  Again … WHAT …are you crazy? I have no accounting back ground, I HATE numbers, and simply whisper the words, liability, asset, and equity, I then begin to faint in despair. Overwhelmed does not even capture the arena I have been in. However, I am so very thankful for God’s provision, provision for the immediate and for the future. Each morning, my prayer holds one consistent element. “God make me smarter than I am, meet with me in my mind.”

My mind at times sits and stares at the white computer screen, a complete blank washes over me. A couple of weeks ago, I was fully persuaded and drawn to what Jesus said to us, in response to a question asked of Him. The question? What is the greatest commandment? Jesus responds with (in short) “Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love those around you.” (Mark 12:30)

Hmm… I have been looking at ‘loving God with all my mind’ — fascinating! The word that Jesus uses for loving God with my mind, means loving God with understanding. What brings understanding? Pursuit!

In Jesus’ day, the ‘mind’ revolution was in full swing. Folks sat around, even in large gatherings contemplating – pursuing ‘understanding’. They rattled off, debated, and spoke philosophical jargon. When asked the greatest commandment, Jesus answers by quoting Deut. 6:4-5. Verse 5 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Notice Jesus adds one thing to this empowering direction to us. Moses didn’t mention loving God with all our mind.

I believe Jesus was/is saying that God is worthy of our mental pursuit. As man (world) pursues the philosophy of the day, the intellect of the day, we as Jesus followers are to base our understanding on Him, wrap our seat of human reason around HIM and His word!

Loving God with our mind, means even more than understanding, it includes our ….disposition. WOW, I am to love God with my temperament, and or my mood (oh … ICK!) Golly, now I am responsible for how I ‘use’ my mood. Here’s another consideration as well, my understanding can also be rendered “the results of thorough exercise of the mind.” Our mental/emotional energy NEEDS to be spent on God & God stuff!

Interesting note, when studying something we are called to (love God with our mind) we also look to see what we are NOT called to. In this case, the opposite of understanding, well … um… (clearing throat) literally means … being a ‘moron’ (Greek ‘moria’)

How does this play out for me? I ain’t no moron. I am pursuing God with my mind, I am choosing to use my emotional and mental energy for Him. Loving God, means that I invite Him into my pursuit of understanding, HE is my understanding. My immediate application is this,  when I answer these incredible bookkeeping questions, I give them the very best I can, without them even knowing, I bring the Kingdom to them, I bring the King to them, because I spent time and energy with the King FIRST.   Loving Jesus with my mind, means HE is the first thought, He is the first energy spent. “Jesus make me smarter than I am, meet with me in my mind.”  Where I lack, He is the difference.

What about you? Is Jesus drawing you to love Him more with your mind? Are you sensing the need for discipline, or the need to stop and think of Jesus first?  Are you wrapping your intellect, emotions, and disposition around HIM?  I know it is a challenge with as much simulation we get these days to keep our mind focused on Jesus.  But God is worthy of our mental pursuit.