Is. 17-19
God is not just the God of Israel and Judah. He is God of the whole earth. He shows that here in Isaiah by declaring judgments against all of the nations. God alone has the power and the authority to do what He says He is going to do and to call all people into account. But even as He executes judgment on each nation, He promises to save a remnant from the other nations as well. “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.” (Is 19:25b). I don’t come anywhere close to understanding what all of this prophecy means, but I do get that there is nothing that is beyond God’s reach, either for judgment or for blessing.
Eph. 4
Our mind is an important gateway into our being. In writing to the Ephesians about living a life in Christ, Paul makes this important point. He tells them, “you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.” (Eph 4:17b). And he later says we need to “put off your old self…and be renewed in the spirit of your minds”. (Eph 4:22a, 23). Essentially he is saying that when we accept the truth of Jesus, we change our minds.
I looked up what it means to “change your mind.” The definition is, “to form an opinion or make a decision about something that is not the same as the one you first had”. When we put off our old selves and put on our new selves, we take on a whole new way of thinking about everything that is not the same as how we thought before. It is a complete and total change of mind.
I ran across a statement that says that our thoughts cause our bodies to change. This is basic science. And it is why our mind is such an important gateway. By renewing our minds and taking on a whole different way of thinking, we fundamentally change who we are and how we respond to things. Paul says that we are no longer driven by corrupt and deceitful desires but are now driven by God’s righteousness and holiness. We have put away falsehood and taken up truth.