by Chris Martin | Apr 22, 2024 | Articles, Mentors Corner
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every though captive to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:3-5). Paul’s admonition to the follower of Christ in the conclusion of these verses is to take “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” It doesn’t take a man much effort to conclude that he can only entertain one individual thought at any given time. He may quickly rotate between a few different thoughts at a rapid pace, but only one thought can be on the “screen” of a man’s mind at any given time. The Scriptures further instruct us that how we think, and what we think about (our thoughts) are of paramount importance to the believer. Proverbs 23:7 tells us “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” Correct thinking results in correct living, and incorrect thinking results in incorrect living. Thus, any man, by a function of exerting his WILL, can control what he thinks about and successfully take “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” The WILL controls the MIND and what thoughts we entertain. A logical question is, how does a man do this? Paul gives us some helpful instruction earlier in the passage. First, in verse 3 Paul brings to our attention that even though we walk “in the flesh” (the temporal), this is not where we...
by Ron Hocutt | Apr 9, 2024 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Jesus tells us “…..No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). This passage is commonly understood as referring to one who begins a work only to regret the decision, wishing to retreat from the work at hand. He who does not count the cost and desires to take his hand off the plough (i.e. the work of God), forfeits his assurance that he belongs to the King. While this is a reasonable exegesis of the passage and holds true in its application, there is another understanding, rooted in the agricultural environment in which the writers of the gospel lived that also contains an additional weighty application. To a farmer, there is only one reason to look back once he puts his hand to the plough, and it isn’t to cease ploughing – it is to measure the quality and quantity of his work. A farmer looks back to see if his rows are straight and how much of the field he’s ploughed. Those of Jesus’ day would have immediately understood this given the agrarian nature of their society. Looking back creates a problem, however, as ploughing straight rows requires looking forward at all times. Any time a farmer looks back, he has taken his eye off the target, which is the end of the row. This results in a poorly ploughed field that produces an inferior crop. Along with this understanding, there are warnings here for the believer. Who among us is not desirous to see the results of his efforts in the Kingdom? We evangelize...
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