Who has put wisdom in the inward parts
or given understanding to the mind? Job 38:36
Change Your Mind – Job 38:36
The Lord answers Job after all his trials. If you aren’t familiar with the story of Job, it is a doozy! Job was a righteous man who went through some horrible things. He lost an enormous amount. Toward the end of his story, God answers Job and responds to the comments his friends have made about him that are incorrect.
In chapter 38 in the book of Job, God asks Job a bunch of questions. These questions show the magnificence, omniscience, and omnipotence of God. It is a chapter that inspires me to praise God for His nature and power!
The origin of wisdom
Then, God asks about where wisdom comes from. Who gives us any wisdom we have?
Who has put wisdom in the inward parts
or given understanding to the mind?
Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
when the dust runs into a mass
and the clouds stick fast together? Job 38:36-38
We are not the source of our wisdom. God is the source of all understanding which we have at all.
Repent
The Greek word for repent is “metanoia”. Meta means “change” and noia is the word for “mind.” Repent literally means to change your mind. To change your mind from self-centered thoughts that originate within our own minds to God-centered thoughts that are imparted to us through His wisdom.
Repentance is a keystone of the Lenten season. The idea of repentance is usually thought to mean feeling sorry for sin with an intent to change your behavior. However, the literal meaning is to change your mind. When we shift our thoughts to get them in line with God’s thoughts, our feelings follow, and then our actions. Behavior blossoms out of our thought life. Without the wisdom of God, our behavior will naturally follow a path that does not align with the Bible because our minds are set on the things of this world.
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1-2
Set our minds on things above
God’s wisdom is so far beyond our own. We must kneel to it. We change rather than expecting Him to change. We must choose to set our minds on the things above – on eternal things.
Other thoughts will pop into our heads. That is only natural. Thousands of thoughts float through our minds everyday. It is our job to take those thoughts captive and replace them with the wisdom from God’s Word.
“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:5
Change the channel
To take every thought captive, we need to become adept at changing the channel in our minds. Rather than trying not to think negative thoughts, which can feel impossible, I recently heard a preacher give the illustration of changing the channel in our brains. When the negative thoughts or temptations arise, we simply change the channel by choosing to focus on something from God’s wisdom.
Action Step:
Today, let’s get some thoughts ready for when tempting or negative thoughts come up. We need to have an idea of what to change the channel to when we need a channel change.
What are some verses about God’s love that you can focus on?
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 1 John 4:16
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus Ephesians 2:4-6
Share your thoughts about today’s devotional or post a pic of your journaling under Lent for God’s Love Week 2 or post on Instagram and tag me @devoinaction!
Prayer:
Dear God, Help us recognize when thoughts pop into our heads that are not in line with Your thoughts. Enable us to repent and change our minds to align with Your wisdom. Renew our awareness of Your love as we move forward to Easter. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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