Lawless Leasing of the Mind
“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13 (KJV, emphasis added)
In July of 1995, my wife, Gloria, and I with our three young sons BJ (5) Philip (4) and Seth (3) prepared to relocate to sunny south Florida from snowy Syracuse, New York. We were not financially able to purchase a home. Therefore, we elected to lease an apartment. The apartment that we wanted was in a perfect location in proximity to my place of employment and it also provided plenty of living space for the family. However, there was one significant complication that closed the door to securing the apartment: It was already leased out. We completed an application anyway just in case something would become available. The leasing manager was sensitive to our situation and displayed a delightful disposition toward the new, faith-filled Floridians. But our hopes to move into our new home looked lost and locked in a cell of impossibility.
Subsequently, without securing an apartment to lease we began to lease out our minds to tenants that trouble the heart, mind, and soul: disappointment, dejection, doubt, disbelief, and despair. (Question: have you ever been there?) But God! My brothers and sisters, I love that powerful truth in Scripture. Because “But God” equals divine intervention! God guided Gloria and I to the beach to behold His benevolence and hope. By His gift of grace, he directed us to gird our minds with His Truth!
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God.” Psalm 42:11a (KJV)
To gird our minds refers to preparation. The Christian is to have his or her mental powers alert in hopeful expectation of Christ's coming. In other words, we should be preoccupied with preparation because of the hope we have in Christ. As a result of receiving His refreshing truth, God empowered us to serve an eviction notice to the lawless leasing of those troubling tenants that had consumed our thoughts. We put them out and placed hope in its rightful place.
When we returned to our hotel room that we had rented for the week, the phone message light was brilliantly blinking! It was a message from the leasing manager from the apartment to which we had applied.
Mr. and Mrs. King: This is Lynn from Del Oreo Apartments. I wanted you to know that I am not going to lease out the apartment to the other tenant. I want you guys to have the apartment. So, if you are still interested, it is yours.
A waterfall of grateful tears and unspeakable joy erupted causing us to fly on eagles’ wings to the leasing office and sign those papers!
Remember your mind is the mind of Christ. He is not the tenant but the owner.
Join me again next time as we continue to consider what I call the lawless leasing of the mind.
For the Glory of God,
PBKSR