Reset the Mindset

Gospel Reading:  Luke 13:31-35

The Bible establishes a clear distinction between our Worldly Nature and our Divine Nature. The saying that we are to be “in the world, not of the world” is rooted in the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles throughout the New Testament. Paul goes so far as to describe it as a holy war within ourselves, being waged between our old self and our new self. To the extent that we have not yet completed our transformation by the renewing of our minds, we continue to that extent to be “of the world.” We share that predicament with those whose faith is greater than ours, and with those who have yet to come to faith in Christ. It’s a good thing God loves the world so much He sent Jesus to be our Savior!

The mindset we need to reset is wherever we or others think of God as hostile toward us, an idea that has often been fed (especially with medieval imagery) by religious people as a form of spiritual manipulation. Because such a mindset is based on twisted Scriptures and powerful fears, it is difficult to confront. Yet we must change our minds from this mindset of the World over to the mindset of God’s Kingdom. This passage invites us to let God be a parent to us in the way a hen gathers her brood under her wing. That’s a different way of thinking about God than what the World would have us to think. We’re invited to reset our mindset.

  

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