Sound Mind Set

Psalm 23 is one of the most well-known chapters in the Bible. We hear these words read in so many settings. But in this beautiful poetry by the shepherd-turned-king David, he speaks of God the Father as his Shepherd and relates life to what he offers his own flock. Listen with your heart, and hear about the life that God offers you, just as he did David … The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. (NLT) A significant part of finding balance in our spiritual lives is found in the first verse: “The Lord is my Shepherd. I have all that I need.” When we can arrive at the place where He is truly all that we need to sustain our lives when we find our dependence entirely on Him, then we can find rest, our strength can be renewed, we can learn what it means not to be afraid, we can believe that His goodness and mercy is alive in our lives. Focus on your breathing in and out, close your eyes, and listen intently to this version of Psalm 23 God, my Shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, You find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty Shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life. (MSG) The first version we read, the New Living, placed the text on what God will do for us in the future. The Message placed the text in the present, what He does for us. The reality is that both are true. What else do you need besides God? Could you use some time in a lush meadow? Beside a quiet pool? Time to catch your breath so you can head in the right direction. God is ready to meet your every need. Breathe deep … take in His truth today … then slowly exhale and let go of yesterday, the past. Move into the balance God offers you in this new day. Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, thank You for offering all I need. Forgive me when I focus on all I want, especially those things that are outside of Your will. Lead me, Lord. I want to be able to say that, in You, I don’t need anything or anyone else. As above, so below.”

In Mark 12, Jesus was asked which of the ten commandments was most important. His reply surprised them: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” What is the first key phrase in this passage? The action verb Jesus began with? LOVE - Love the Lord … your God. We have to start with the very personal question: How much do I love God? How do we love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds with all of our strength? Jesus showed us a road map in this passage. There are four quadrants mapped out of our being that Jesus mentioned here: Heart, Soul, Mind, and strength. We start with getting present with God - just me and Him - getting still. It is the premise of what we do here every day. We do this by breathing and getting still. Notice the passage starts with internal, intimate things - not intellectual things like the mind. It begins with our heart and soul. The order to this is critical We start by paying attention to our heart - what is going on inside. Approaching God as a child with all our feelings, failures and desires and bringing it to Him. Then we focus on our Soul by getting still and allowing His presence to speak to our inner being - without words. Only then do we engage our mind by taking in what God is saying. Lastly, our strength, what we do with encountering God. These are the steps Jesus laid out to love him wholly. Listen again to Jesus words. ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Start, as Jesus said, with our heart -our feelings, then move to our soul - experiencing God in stillness caring for the deepest part of us, then move to feeding our minds by taking in what he is saying and then, and only then should we move forward in strength Knowing the source. What part of the four quadrants do you struggle to let be known by God? Heart, soul, mind, strength? These are all connected. Your heart matters—your soul matters. Your mind matters. What you do matters. But the order matters most. Can you allow God to love you today? Can you let him know more of you this next year? As you ruminate on those feelings, let’s take some slow deep breaths once again. Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, thank You for taking all of the laws and simply telling us to love You with all we have, through a relationship with Jesus. Today, I seek Your balance. I give you my heart. My mind. My thoughts. My attitude. My spirit. My being. All that I have for all that You are. As above, so below.”