January 3 – A Higher Mind
(1 Corinthians 2:6-16)

“We have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)

IN WORD:
At first glance, Paul’s claim is boastful. It would not go over well in our “politically correct” culture of today. It probably did not go over well in the Corinthian culture then, except within the church. There, it would have been a treasured truth and an amazing revelation.
So it is with us. It is almost unthinkable: the mind of the One through whom the entire universe was created, the fount of all wisdom, is available to us. We are not limited to human reasoning. We are not bound by the limitations of history’s greatest thinkers, who, while often exceeding human standards of intelligence, have all fallen drastically short of discovering eternal truth by natural means. No, we have a supernatural access to ultimate reality from an eternal perspective. We know the direction of history and where it is leading; we know how to escape this fallen world; and we know who holds all power in the palm of His right hand. This vast, incomprehensible treasure is ours — if we will accept it.
That’s our problem. We often resort to lesser means of wisdom because we’re unaware that the mind of Christ is accessible, or we’re unable to believe such an extravagant promise. But if we can’t believe it, we can’t have it. The mind of Christ is ours through the Spirit of God, who comes to us only through faith. The Spirit searches the deep things of God (v. 10) and reveals them to His people. Such things are foolish to the world, but they are true nonetheless — truth that we can know and base our lives on.

IN DEED:
You have your own mind. You also have Christ’s. Which would you rather depend on? Begin each day by disavowing your own wisdom. We must acknowledge that we do not have the understanding to make the decisions we will face each day. We do not know all the details or future implications of any decision. But God does, and He makes His wisdom available. Acknowledge your utter dependence on the mind of Christ, ask for His wisdom, and believe.

“The truly wise are those whose souls are in Christ.”
-St. Ambrose-