But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Mark 8:33
What is on a person’s mind is what a person is most concerned about. Those concerns are the things that are most pressing in one’s life, that have the biggest impact in the moment. Most often those concerns are of an immediate, but temporary nature, not having any real long term impact of great value.
Mark records Jesus rebuking Peter for not being mindful of the things of God, but only thinking about the things of man. This was due to Peter rebuking Jesus for going up to Jerusalem to be killed.
The focus of the world is the here and now comforts of life. If there is pain and death involved, the world will do whatever it can to turn another direction. Death is the end of everything in the eyes of the world and must be avoided if at all possible. Very seldom does the world see death as a good thing.
God works in the realm of eternity. His focus is on what can make a person better that will last for all eternity, not just in the moment. Since God works in that realm, there are times that God calls a person to do something that looks like the end of life in this world. It may not make sense in the temporary, but will in the eternal.
Believers need to keep their mind focused up the things of God, the things that are eternal. Temporary comforts must be willing to be sacrificed in order to do God’s will at building His kingdom on the earth.
Going through your life you will face many different choices that need to be made. God will sometimes lead you down a path that does not look safe or good. Instead of rejecting that path, be willing to walk it. Keep in mind the will of God and trust that what God is calling you to do is the best choice to make.
Do not allow yourself to think in the temporary times of this fallen world and end up being rebuked by God. As you walk the path God calls you to walk, you may be the one God uses to change the world and build His kingdom.
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know the things of God; that you will do the will of God for your life; and that God will not have to rebuke you for what you are mindful of.
Photo by Sam Carter on Unsplash
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