The alarm goes off and I just don’t want to move. Paralyzed by the exhaustion that weighs on me like a heavy blanket, I start to tune the alarm out and make it into a song in my mind. Until my husband nudges me.
Oh, the daily grind. The rhythms of life can make us want to crawl back in bed and wave the surrender flag unless we face life with a different mind—the mind of Christ— in the daily grind.
The mind of Christ is God’s thoughts born out in our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. This happens as we renew our minds with God’s Word and examine our thoughts to line up with His.
We have been indoctrinated by the world’s system all our days. Though we can have our normal way of processing our thoughts, we can change how we think through the power of the Holy Spirit as we renew our minds with the new Kingdom paradigm found in Christ.
It will take time to have a mindset reset and adopt the mind of Christ. However, Christ set the example of what it looks like to live in God’s thoughts instead of man’s. We have seen how Christ responded when faced with the same negative mindsets we experience.
Long before Jesus lived among us, He was. He has always been. The Old Testament tells of His coming, and the New Testament tells of His coming again. All of Scripture says look to the Son.
We have seen the mind of God “fleshed out” for us in Christ who modeled for us a totally new paradigm of living. Living according to the Spirit.
For those of us who feel our time is already squeezed and wonder how we can live in this mind of Christ when we feel like we are already losing our minds, there is hope for you, friend. Let's look at 5 ways to access the mind of Christ in the daily grind:
1. No Offense
Isaiah 53:5, NASB
“But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed.”
The drama of life is what makes the grind so unbearable. People are offended over the smallest things. And a lot of those offenses arise from presumption. We might feel justified in our anger, but consider that Christ was justified in His judgment of our sins but bore all our offenses. It is interesting that this word, “offense,” is defined as sin or breaking the law, but another definition serves as an “annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult to or disregard for oneself or one's standards or principles.” Being offended, then, is also an offense (sin). We are not forgiving others as we have been forgiven.
When we are tempted to give in to an offense or anger, Jesus shows us a better way. What if we laid down our need to constantly defend ourselves and thought about those around us and their needs more?
2. Check Your Beliefs
2 Corinthians 10:5, ESV
“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
We cannot be passive with our thought life and have the mind of Christ. We cannot check our brains at the door. Without even realizing it, we subscribe to false beliefs through narratives seeping into our own minds. Unbelief happens easily enough. We can believe the mantra going through our minds and forget to check it with what Christ said. The daily grind becomes heavy when we don’t take God’s word as our authority. Aligning our beliefs with God’s helps us to rise above the daily grind and walk in victory!
3. Know Your Identity
John 1:12-13, ESV
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
We have heard the phrase, “identity in Christ,” but the daily grind is miserable if we are not living into that identity. We are not defined by what others say about us, by our vocation, any role that we play on this earth. We are defined by our relationship with God. We will have times when we shrink back and think from a human, fleshly point of view. But we don’t have to stay there. Reminding ourselves to look at what God has to say about us helps us to represent Jesus, and not ourselves, in the daily grind. You are loved. You have purpose. Your life has meaning, and this will impact your daily grind in beautiful ways. What seems to have no purpose suddenly does. Divine appointments are set for God’s glory, and we get to be a part of it!
4. Live Your Life for Kingdom Purposes
1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
What is it that makes us get out of bed in the morning? We know that the alarm clock does not always work, right? But knowing our “why” and having it set to Christ’s mindset and Kingdom purposes helps our daily grind to have purpose. We are not just trying to exist. We can thrive and not just survive. All our successes or our failures pass away, and the daily grind feels meaningless unless there is purpose in it. Even mundane things are not mundane when we do it all for the glory of God.
5. Form Life-Giving Habits that Jesus Did
Jesus told us and showed us how to live. He had habits that paved the way for us to follow.
Habit of Praying
“However, he continued his habit of retiring to deserted places and praying” (Luke 5:16, ISV).
Habit of Consistency
“His habit at this time was to teach in the Temple by day, but to go out and spend the night on the Mount called the Olive yard” (Luke 21:37, WNT).
Habit of Trusting God in Suffering
“When he was insulted, he did not retaliate. When he suffered, he did not threaten. It was his habit to commit the matter to the one who judges fairly” (1 Peter 2:23, ISV).
Scripture encourages us to form habits, too, that mirror Christ’s habits. Habits are not just willpower. They are chosen by the grace of God and power of the Holy Spirit.
Habit of Discernment
“But solid food belongs to full-grown men, who, on account of habit, have their senses exercised for distinguishing both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14, Darby).
Habit of Behavior
“You must make it your habit to speak and act like people who are going to be judged by the law of liberty” (James 2:12, ISV).
Habit of Worship
“Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing nearer” (Hebrew 10:25, ESV).
Habit of a Repentant Lifestyle
“Therefore, make it your habit to confess your sins to one another and to pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16, ISV).
Our habits help to reinforce or tear down the mind of Christ. Habits are central to walking and living in the Spirit. When we choose the mind of Christ amid the daily grind, we choose joy and peace as we abide in His Spirit no matter what life throws our way.
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