“setting your mind”

This world offers so many things that we’re encouraged to either invest or indulge ourselves in. Often these are seemingly innocuous – perhaps the marketing of a new detective series, an upcoming sports rivalry, or an enticing meal deal. Some have to do with legitimate pursuit of better physical or emotional wellbeing. Others are in obvious conflict with the morality and righteousness that we’re called to. And still others incite angst against or anxiety about persons or politics for whatever they have or have not said or done (allegedly or undeniably).

All these things and more have the effect of setting the mind. In New Testament Greek, the word used for this activity is phroneis (φρονεῖς). Its definition can be understood as pondering, dwelling on, giving serious consideration to, or thinking about. Phroneis itself is neither good nor bad, per se – it is normal human functioning. By contrast, we can think of its abnormal or unhealthy corollary being frenetic or frantic – literally an “itis” or inflammation of thinking. Phroneis can also be both unintentional and intentional… and here is the crux of the matter.

We don’t have to be resigned to the defaults of our culture or nurture. We do have choices about the setting of our minds… and those settings matter deeply.

In Matthew 16:23, just after naming Jesus as the Christ/Messiah, Peter was rebuked by Jesus for trying to dissuade Him from fulfilling the messianic mission of servanthood, suffering, and the Cross. Peter’s understanding of the Messiah was so corrupted by culture that Jesus actually called him Satan! It’s not that Peter was a well-educated theologian of the time – he was a mere fisherman. The setting of Peter’s mind was simply entrenched within common contemporary perspectives and belief.

Next consider the Apostle Paul, whose mindset was even more deeply entrenched not just in that which was commonly contemporary but particularly in zealously held religious belief. Jesus broke him free of this mindset and awakened in Paul the deep truth of actively and purposefully setting one’s mind rightly. The essential and foundational concern is not in culture or religion, but in choosing the Spirit over the flesh (Romans 8:5-7). And this is no mere glib choice. This is life over death – freedom over bondage (Galatians 5:1) – forgiveness over condemnation (Romans 8:1) – glorious transformation over shameful destruction (Philippians 3:19-21).

So, in the midst of our living here below, let us be about setting our minds on those things that are above (Colossians 3:1-17).