Matthew 16: 23

I wanted to share some encouragement and thoughts from Scripture.  I was reading Matthew 16 today where Jesus rebukes Peter.  Peter makes perfect sense to me.

Jesus keeps saying he "must" suffer and be killed.  Peter's viewpoint:  No way!  This should never happen! This is bad!  No way!  Jesus in turn calls Peter "Satan" and "a hindrance to me!"  He accuses Peter of "not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."  It came to me that I so often do that.  I set my mind on things of man, of the world, of what makes SENSE.  It doesn't make sense to me for suffering, tragedy, and the like.  The things of man are the things that make sense!  Jesus wants a renewal/transformation of my mind so that it is set on things of God like His mind was.

Romans 8:5-6 reads:  For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

Colossians 3:2 says: Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

And 1 Peter 1:13 reads:  Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

So this is my prayer today:
Lord, please make my mind set on things of God, not on things that make sense to me.  Help me live according to the Spirit and not the flesh.  Help me set my mind on You!  Thank you for the hope that I can set fully on the grace that you will bring to me.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

New Year's Day hike :)