For Christians, an appropriate definition of being “spiritually minded” is devoting, or consecrating, one’s life to developing and possessing a mindset that prioritizes God and His word first in one’s life. Our lives are finite, so devotion to a single pursuit will of necessity come at the expense of other pursuits. Further, devotion requires an elimination of pursuits that are contrary to the pursuit to which one is devoted. For the “spiritually minded” Christian, a devotion to God therefore means fighting against the desire to follow one’s own will at the expense of following God’s will.
The Apostle Paul discusses this internal struggle to either follow God or follow oneself in Romans 8:9-14. In these verses, he refers to the “spirit of Christ” being in conflict with the “spirit of the flesh.” Jesus was perfectly obedient to God throughout his life, even when that obedience required him to sacrifice his life (Philippians 2:8). Having this same spirit of single-minded devotion to God defines those who have the “spirit of Christ,” and are thus “spiritually minded” (Philippians 3:13-16).
Becoming spiritually minded is not an instantaneous transformation. It is a process, and a process implies progression. In any process, there will be times when progress seems to be smooth and quick, and other times when progress may seem to be difficult or even stalled. During the difficult times, it can be necessary for the spiritually minded to recenter their thoughts and actions on their life’s main goal of serving God first and restore their spiritual mindedness.
How does one know if one has restored their spiritual mindedness? Perhaps the first step is realizing that one has drifted away from devotion to God and resolving to rectify the issue (Proverbs 24:16). This can often be facilitated by interactions with other spiritually-minded people (Galatians 6:1) and is one reason why it is so important that the spiritually minded support and interact with each other.
In Matthew 7:16-27, Jesus teaches us how to judge our lives and the degree of our spiritual mindedness. In verse 16, he teaches us to assess the fruits, or results, of one’s labors. Those who are spiritually minded are seeking to follow Jesus’ example, and to the best of their imperfect abilities, have lives that reflect his. As we reflect on what we’ve accomplished at the end of a day, can we look back and genuinely see that we have added to our knowledge of God’s word and His will in our lives? Have our actions been a benefit to the other spiritually-minded people we were in contact with? Have our words and actions been a comfort or a benefit to people in the world, not in glory to our own selves, but to bring glory to God? We should expect that the fruits of our actions – if we have been spiritually restored – were, through God’s grace and will, to some degree a blessing to others as well as demonstrated some growth in our single-minded devotion to God.
James 2:17-26 reinforces these thoughts. Faith is essential to the spiritually minded. Faith in God, faith in Jesus’ sacrifice to redeem mankind, and faith in Jesus’ willingness and ability to act as our advocate when we fail are all preconditions to becoming spiritually minded. However, the Scriptures remind us that the spiritually minded should also expect proper faith to have some kind of effect on their actions; again, not for personal recognition, but to the glory and purpose of God. In considering whether one has been “spiritually restored,” one should be able to examine one’s actions and see what those actions support. In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus teaches that one whose heart is focused on selfish goals or self-interests will show a growth in results that are selfish or in self-interest. In contrast, the results of one who has been spiritually restored will glorify God and be of benefit to others.
Lastly, consider the beautiful words of the first chapter of Psalms. Those who have been spiritually restored should expect their thoughts to drift back to their main purpose in life; namely, God and God’s will. Although it may take some effort to center one’s thoughts on God’s word either at first, or when struggling to become “restored” after some period of failure, the effort should be expected to evolve into a joy and a delight at the peace that God’s word brings. As verse 3 indicates, in harmony with Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 7:16-17, the spiritually restored should expect to be able to see their restored hearts and thoughts blessed by God, which will be evident in both their actions and the results of those actions, like the fruits of a tree in its season.
