The Futility of Our Mind

Scripture:

Eph. 4:17   Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds. 

Observation:

Many of the converts in Ephesus were Gentiles and yet, there must have been a tug on them that would draw them back toward their previous way of life. The result was a displacement of Christ in the central place in their lives. In this case their minds were not being used for contemplation of spiritual matters, but instead, a dependence upon human conscience surrendered to the flesh. The result is that our human minds, not submitted toward a holy God, lead us to a place of alienation where the good news can no longer be grasped. Our trust and dependence is upon ourselves as our own minds lead us into a place of futility, separated from the relationship with God who makes us truly human.

Application:

The finite nature of our minds will lead us to a dead-end in our thinking. This, in turn, becomes an act of futility for some of the issues of our day need solutions which may be greater than our human minds can comprehend. When we are united with our Lord, we are opened up to the limitless possibilities found in an infinite God. The futility of our minds is transformed into eternal possibilities found in our holy and loving God. The result is more than what we could ever ask or imagine as we trust in him.

These are good words to remember as we peruse the internet and check out the news of the day. From refugees fleeing for their lives to volcanoes beginning to rumble many of the problems bring us to the end of our own personal resources.

There are things that are out of our control!

I’m writing this as I sit in an airport awaiting the departure of a thunderstorm which seems to reinvigorate itself right above this airport over and over again. When will we ever be able to depart? No one really knows because we are limited human beings. In this case, even the airlines like to declare that this is an act of God over which they have no control (and no compensation will be made for the delays :) ). My human mind would like to try and solve this conundrum — so I check out the radar map and try to determine when there will be a window of opportunity for us to fly. Of course, they’re not going to ask me (which is a good thing!). I also go on-line to figure out all the alternative flights to get me to my final destination today but everything is dependent upon the length and intensity of this storm which seems to be either stationary or growing above us. Ah — the futility of my mind. No matter how hard I try, I can’t fix or resolve this!

Why not sit back, read the word and enjoy the time that God has given me?

When we give in to the futility of our mind, we become more distant from God and our dependence upon him. Paul knew that this would be detrimental to the faith of the Christians at Ephesus and it is destructive to our faith as well. No matter how educated or experienced we might be the finite nature of our minds will lead us to a place of futility. We are invited into a relationship of dependence upon our holy God who will open up for us more possibilities than our minds could never imagine. Futility is turned to eternal hope when we trust in Christ.

Prayer:

Lord, please help me today to continually turn to you and trust in your infinite wisdom — and help me enjoy this weather delay! May this time be used as an opportunity to know you and show your love. Amen.

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