This Christmas

Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?
You have planted them, yes, they have taken root;
They grow, yes, they bear fruit.
You are near in their mouth.
But far from their mind.

Jeremiah 12:1-2 (NKJV)

As the prophet Jeremiah cried out to the Lord, he communicated his aggravation at the hypocrisy of his fellow Jews. On the outside, everything seemed fine and fruitful. The praises of God were on everyone’s lips, and there were no shortage of prophets who asserted, “Thus saith the Lord.” But when it came to their minds, God was an absolute stranger. He was on the tip of everyone’s tongue, but he had no actual place in their personal lives. Their mouths and their minds don’t correspond, and what followed was a sad lesson of bondage and bankruptcy.

There’s a real lesson for us to learn from this, particularly at this time of year. Over the next few weeks, we will hear Christmas carols virtually everywhere we go. There are going to be innumerable references to the Lord on television, the web, XM radio, or regular old radio. The name of Jesus will be on the tip of everyone’s tongue, including those of us who are part of the church. This is wonderful in and of itself, but we need to be sure that the words of our mouth match the meditations of our mind. We need to examine whether or not Jesus has the place of distinction in our thought life during this season. If not, we are making the same mistake as those in Jeremiah’s day. What can we expect when our mouths don’t match our minds? Sooner or later, we can expect spiritual bondage and bankruptcy.

The Bible tells us to set our minds on spiritual things (Colossians 3:2), to think on the things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good, and virtuous (Philippians 4:8). What better way to do this than to think about Jesus? Let’s not just give the Lord lip service this season, but let’s be sure to give Him His rightful place in our minds as well.

How will you make sure your mind matches your mouth this Christmas season?

Bona diagnosis, bona curatio
“Good diagnosis, good cure”

TJ