Name Tags: You are… Mindful

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:36-40 (NKJV)

Let we who identify as Christians PRIORITIZE our King’s top two ORDERS, and take note of the phrase “WITH ALL YOUR MIND.”

To be mindful is to be attentive, aware, careful, heedful, and regardful. Certainly, we who believe in Jesus must keep Him at the forefront of our minds.

How?

  • OBVIOUSLY first: We MUST love God with everything we've got: with all our heart means our UTMOST PASSION; with all our soul means our whole inner life; with all our mind means remaining mindful of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

  • OFTEN MISSED second: We MUST love “neighbors” as we love ourselves. Consider “ourselves” to be fellow saints: Christians in churches who worship Jesus. Consider “neighbors” to be outsiders, who “live” in close proximity to us.

Actors, models, and talent for Christ:

Let’s wrap our minds around 3 crucial points:

  1. Being mindful of our Captain’s Orders is a MANDATE of the New Testament. Our continuing focus on His Word shapes present and eternal destinies.

  2. Right now, Satan fights for our attention. He knows our greatest fears and temptations. He’ll use both of these preoccupiers to fill our thoughts with EVERYTHING but God!

  3. When Judas took his mind off of Jesus (without repentance), his future was lost. When Peter took his mind off of Jesus (and repented), God fully restored Him.

A personal note:

Keeping our eyes and our thoughts on Jesus is a practice we can’t FULLY master. BUT… if we keep trying, God is gracious: to forgive, to strengthen, and to restore. We’re all in the process of BECOMING.

Name Tags: You Are… Mindful (Part 64)

* More Verses about being mindful/watchful: What Does the Bible Say About Be Watchful?

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players.’ Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.

Carey Arban