A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste
Do you remember this slogan for the United Negro College Fund? “A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste.” It has been used by the UNCF for over 30 years and still remains their slogan today.
I shared several weeks ago how the church – body of Christ – has made tremendous advances in their spirituality but have digressed in intelligence. We have fought an intense battle in what we call spiritual warfare but have miserable failed in the intellectual battle.
In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus shares the greatest commandment. To love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our body, all our soul, and all our mind. We cannot only love our God in selected venues but in every arena. Our MIND, our ability to THINK DEEPLY, is also a vital part of loving our God.
Luke 2:19 states… Mary was keeping within herself all these things (sayings), weighing and pondering them in her heart.
Ponder: to reflect over deeply, to deliberate, to contemplate, or to brood over.
I willingly admit I have been part of the problem. To ponder something is a deliberate and intentional decision. We have become accustomed to our culture where we do not have to think,and all we have to do is respond to the multiple options laid out before us. We are being manipulated and inadvertently being controlled and do not even recognize it.
Think about this question for a few seconds. “When have you removed yourself from the hustle/bustle of media, music, life, family, and reflected deeply about YOU?
- What you are doing?
- Why you are about to make that next choice?
- Where you would like to be in the next year?
- Who God is to you?
- Why do you “believe” what you say you believe?
Not only is your mind a terrible thing to waste but your life is a terrible thing to waste! Unless we start intentionally THINKING about our choices, decisions, and why we select the course we are traveling, we can end up with much regret and little harvest.
Lets dive a little deeper and explore some real truth. Ready?
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)
Let’s talk some about what God has given us – a calm and well-balanced mind. Other translations state a SOUND MIND. God has given us a sound mind if we desire to have one.
Mind: the seat or subject of consciousness, the thinking and perceiving part of consciousness or intellect. Or simply that which thinks, perceives, feels, and wills.
When the mind gets filled with the things and cares of this world, it no longer is sound, calm, or well-balanced. When it takes on the consistency of, and logical connection with, the concerns and preoccupations of the world, our minds become enmity with God, and we “lose the ability and desire” to understand the things of God.
When our minds are characterized by this “carnal” mode of operation, we are wrapped up in a particular mental and emotional paradox. We become ”ceremoniously insane” going through the motions in life and faith but behaving according to the mindset of the worlds system, which is controlled by the princes and principalities of darkness.
This is why the Apostle Paul clearly instructed us to RENEW our minds. The world’s input is like spyware to our sound mind.
Stay with me…………… Success in life is based on a series of accurate decisions, which begin in our……
- Thought life – a silent word, which is an exposed thought. Everything in life starts with a thought form. After it is spoken, it is no longer a thought, but has become a word. From our words, we form………
- Ideas – which are the concepts of our thoughts made real or brought into reality. Ideas make potentials and abilities. However, ideas can come and go and change. It is our………..
- Imagination – that transforms our ideas into plans. As an idea develops into an imagination, it becomes a blueprint in our minds.
This blueprint is what we follow through life and we base our decision-making on this. Let me put in another word. This blueprint is our WORLD VIEW.
If our world view is based on a sound mind it will build up and advance the Kingdom of Heaven. If our world view is based on an unsound mind it will build up the Kingdom of the father of lies. Therefore, if we do not take time to THINK DEEPLY we can become enemies to the very God we say we love and serve.
2 Corinthians 10:4 states…. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds. We refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
Is this not awesome? You and I can have a sound mind (calm and well-balanced) but we must be willing to ponder our thoughts and compare them against God’s Word. If that thought does not accurately line up with the Word we must confront it, refute it, and arrest it from rooting itself into our soil.
Our mind is a terrible thing to waste but if our mind is not built upon the soundness of God’s Word, our mind will eventually shipwreck us and we will find our life wasted away and our heart full of regret.
Let me ask a question and I ask you to answer it before reading further with a simple true or false.
Question: By nature, my mind has been conditioned and programmed to fail? True False
This is tough to read, believe, and grasp. I do not want to accept this. But apart from the New Birth of Jesus Christ which makes all things NEW, our mind will lead us to an end result of destruction and death.
Heres the answer… For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4) 
Our mind must be reconditioned and reprogrammed by the Word and Spirit of Christ. This requires taking the time to reflect and to THINK DEEPLY about WHY we believe WHAT we believe.
My prayer is for you and I, along with the bride of Christ to halt the input entering our lives through the vast inroads of a carnal world determined to dethrone Jesus. We must take responsibility for our MIND, our life, our family, and our sphere of influence. We must diligently cross-examine our belief system and scrutinize over the current blueprint we are building upon. There is no shortcut in this process. Holy Spirit will lovingly guide us and teach us the way we are to go. Lets trust Him and follow the path He has already given us.
