Lose Your Surface Life

Matthew 16:21-28

Jesus rebuked Peter for setting his mind on human things, not Divine things.

Peter’s mind was rooted in the culture and beliefs of his day. We, too, are immersed in our culture and draw on human ways of doing things to solve our problems, not on God’s ways.

Our minds, hearts and will must be transformed to not be captured by the ways of our world.

How do we lose our surface life? We set our minds on Divine things by intentionally spending time emptying our minds of human things and steeping our minds in Divine things. Being in church is one of the ways we do this.

One hour on Sunday morning isn’t enough in light of the clamor of our culture. So we can spend time daily in prayer, devotions, noticing the presence of God in nature and creatures. We can catch ourselves when negative emotions arise, and ask ourselves if we’re focused on Divine things or human things.

We can learn to more and more live our lives from our deeper self, having lost our surface selves for Jesus’ sake and found our true life in Him.

Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.