2 Timothy 1:7
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
INSIGHT
-Sound mind in Greek is written as sophronismos which is a combination of two words; sos meaning safe and phren, the mind. Therefore, sound mind alludes to safe-thinking, good judgement, disciplined thought pattern and the ability to understand and make the right decisions. Soundness of mind according to the main scripture is a spirit from God. Apostle Paul teaches Timothy; that her mother Eunice and grandmother Lois would communicate their faith to him, which builds up a sound mind and overcome fear. Further that; since he was young and prone to timidity/fear, it is the Holy Spirit who provides the enabling power to exercise one’s ministry. A contrast has been given in the previous chapter where false prophets desiring to be teachers of the law, and they neither understand what they say nor the things which they affirm (1 Timothy 1:7). It is the Holy Spirit who grants us the fruit of love that promotes a pure conscience to speak and reflect Christlikeness. Since perfect love casts out fear, we are called to love God and one another, so that God may reveal Himself in us and through us. Parents, grandparents and mentors are also admonished to pray for their children and encourage them in faith; so that God’s purpose for their lives may bear fruit.
PRAYER
Oh Lord our God, how great are You in all the earth. We love You Lord, thank You for loving us first. We do not deserve Your love but You have shown us Your mercy and grace, thank You for loving us first. Thank You for giving us the spirit of power, love and sound mind, and delivering us from fear. We appreciate Your loving kindness upon us. Teach us to love You Lord with all our hearts, minds, souls, and our neighbors as ourselves. Before You formed us Lord, You knew us and set us apart before we were born, thank You for loving us. You foreknew us, predestined us and justified us because You love us dear Jesus. May Your purpose for our lives come to pass according to Your good pleasures; in Your name Jesus Christ. As we begin this new week, may we experience You in a special way in our lives, families, schools, jobs, businesses, ministries, churches, plans, nation and the entire world. May You bless all our children and make them fruitful according to Your loving kindness. May You grant them the gift of salvation we humbly beseech You dear Jesus. We humbly ask You to wash away all our trespasses and deliver us from all forms of fear. May You answer all our hearts desires according to Your divine will we humbly beseech You Lord. We exult You and praise Your holy name, now and forever. Amen
Further reading: 2 Timothy 1:3, 1 John 4:18
Ephesians 4:22-24
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
INSIGHT
-Apostle Paul admonishes the church of Ephesus to adopt a newness of life in Christ and put away their old self culminated by deceitful and corrupt minds. While in the Roman prison, Paul wrote to this church an encyclical letter to be read by several congregations. He thus admonishes us to be self-controlled and moderated; resulting to soundness of mind. We see this from the beginning, when the whole earth had been corrupted by sinful living, Noah was a righteous man and lived faithfully with God (Genesis 6:9-12). Sinful living culminated by corrupt talk (Ephesians 4:29), corruption of the world caused by evil desires (2 Peter 1:4), and false teaching (2 Timothy 3:8) does not reflect godliness. Instead, believers are called to walk in a manner worthy of the calling of God (Ephesians 4:1), in righteousness and holiness, by being renewed in the mind that we may be able to test and approve the good, pleasing and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2), which attracts others to glorify God.
PRAYER
Lord Almighty Father we praise You and glorify Your holy name. You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End, the First and the Last, we worship You and praise Your holy name. You are exulted above the heavens and the earth. You are exulted in all the universe; among all creation. Thank You Abba Father for loving us and giving us Your only begotten Son to be the propitiation of our sins. Thank You for giving us the privilege to become Your children, and the honor to call You Abba Father. Indeed You have been Abba Father unto us, we worship You. You have provided for us, preserved us, protected us, healed our diseases and wounds, taken good care of us and given us the gift of salvation. We love You Lord and exult Your holy name. May You forgive us all our trespasses, and renew our minds dear Jesus that we may put off our old selves filled with corruption and put on our new selves filled with Your holiness and righteousness. Help us dear Jesus to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. May You grant the gift of salvation unto all our family members, friends, leaders and the entire world merciful Savior. May You fill our hearts and minds with You love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control; Holy Spirit. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now, and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 38:3, 2 Peter 1:4-7, Romans 12:1-2
1 Peter 4:7
“The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.”
INSIGHT
-Peter exhorts us to be alert anticipating the end times, particularly the return of Jesus Christ, which should influence our attitudes, thoughts, actions and relationships with God and man. Sobriety of mind influenced first by wine causes an unawareness of the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Ephesians 5:17-19 tells us that, “therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Sobriety of mind can be equated to soundness of mind, that results to keeping a check upon all our desires, and creates a conducive environment for prayer. Revelation 3:11 reminds us that Jesus is coming soon and we should hold fast what we have so that no one may take our crowns.
PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil; for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory; forever and ever. Amen
Further reading: Galatians 5:19-21, Proverbs 31:6-7
2 Corinthians 5:12-13
“For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you.”
INSIGHT
-Apostle Paul explains his motives and those of his co-workers to the Corinthians, was to give them an answer for his detractors, who are preoccupied with superficial judgement. If their critics call them irrational and literally challenged his mental health for suffering for the gospel, Paul knew that they are only trying to serve God. If on the other hand, they are of sound mind, that also is for the benefit of others and in this context; the Corinthians. Therefore, Paul makes it clear that their service is not for themselves but they are serving God and the people. Paul suffered even exposed himself to the danger of imprisonment and death, by persevering in our work of preaching the gospel. Likewise, as ambassadors of Christ, we are reminded to put our faith in God in our callings and duty, despite the suffering that might come with it; for the advancement of God’s kingdom and for the glory of His name.
PRAYER
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His Holy Name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits. Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. We will praise You Lord our God for all our lives and sing praises to You as long as we live. Oh Lord our God how majestic is Your name in all the earth. The whole earth is filled with awe at Your wonders; where morning dawns, and evening fades, You call forth songs of joy. We shout for joy to You Lord, in all the earth, and burst into jubilant song of music. You are so good unto us, how majestic is Your name in all the earth. May You increase our faith even as suffering comes that we may hold on to You dear Jesus and finish our course. May You increase us in wisdom that we may serve You in all situations and seasons. May You strengthen and deliver the persecuted Christians all over the world merciful Savior. May You remember all the widows and orphans among us that You may reach them at their point of need. May You respond to the needs of all the street families that You may elevate their lives from one glory to the next. May You heal all those who are sick and suffering for by Your stripes we are healed merciful Savior. May You dear Jesus answer all our needs and hearts desires for the glory and honor of Your name. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now, and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 103:1-6, 2 Timothy 4:2
Philippians 2:3-5
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:”
INSIGHT
-Apostle Paul tells the Philippians how to act against internal conflicts in the body of Christ, as he taught them before on how to stand strong for the Lord against external conflicts (Philippians 1:27-30). Humility comes before honor, and Paul reminds us to have the mind of Christ, who being in the form of God, took the form of a bondservant, and came in the likeness of men. He humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross, and God highly exulted Him (Philippians 2:6-9). As Christ lay His life for us, we are called to look at the interests of one another above ourselves as we serve through love; having the mind of Christ.
SUMMARY
Diverse dimensions have been outlined to thematically expose the meaning, means and end to sound mindedness. Firstly, sound mindedness is a spirit that speaks against fear. According to 2 Timothy 1:7, God gives us the spirit of sound mindedness and not of fear. Fear is an opposing power that works against the truth and purpose of God. Fear exposes us to doubt and derails us from seeing the promises of God. Apostle Paul admonished Timothy to teach the word of God courageously having been built up in power by the Holy Spirit, and encouraged by her mother Eunice and grandmother Lois through faith. Since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17), we are reminded to remain focused on Christ and build one another in faith. Secondly, a sound mind is built up through alertness in the spirit and prayer. 1 Peter 4:7 reminds us that we should be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray, for the end of all things is near. A sober minded is often times distracted by wine which causes physical staggering and spiritual slackness, not discerning the Holy Spirit within. Sometimes the infilling of the Holy Spirit is confused with drunkenness with new wine, and during the Pentecost, the disciples were thought as so (Acts 2:13-15). Thirdly, a sound mind is an attitude. Ephesians 4:22-24 reminds us to put off our old self being corrupted by deceitful desires and be made new in the attitude of the mind created in true righteousness and holiness. This calls for a renewal in the attitude of our minds that we may realize the good, pleasing and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2). Fourthly, a sound mind is a commitment to purpose. Apostle Paul justified his soundness of mind to his critics who saw him as a ‘mad man’ suffering to the point of imprisonment, even death for the kingdom of God. Paul was not focused on self but disregard his own life as prime but the life of Christ in him, and was committed to serving God and the people (2 Corinthians 5:12-13). Finally, a sound mind is a reflection of Christlikeness, or having the mind of Christ. As Christ humbled Himself and did not consider His divine nature but became a man because of love. Sound mindedness is a reflection of the love of God. Therefore, we are exhorted to add our faith to knowledge, and knowledge to self-control, self-control to perseverance, perseverance to godliness, godliness to brotherly kindness, and brotherly kindness to love (2 Peter 1:5-7).
PRAYER
Abba Father we thank You. Thank You for loving us and making us Your children. Thank You for choosing us, we belong to You. Thank You for purchasing us with Your blood and redeeming us so that we may become a new creation in You. Renew our minds dear Jesus so that we may realize Your good, pleasing and perfect will for us. Fill us with Your faith so that we may look to You in everything despite the distrustions that come our way. You have not given us the spirit of fear Lord but that of power, love and a sound mind. May You empower us in love that we may be formed in Your image and likeness. Fill us with Your fruit of love that we love You truthfully and our neighbors as ourselves. Teach us dear Jesus to lay our lives for each other as You did for us. Thank You dear Jesus for loving us first, we love You. May You bless our families, nation, purposes, ministries, and the work of our hands. May You bless us Lord and keep us. May You make Your face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us. May You turn Your countenance upon us and grant us peace. Amen
Further reading: 1 John 4:8