"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." (Romans 8:6)

"...but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:2)

March 12, 2026

Dear friends,

How quickly our minds and hearts drift away from us!

Someone cuts you off in traffic and you begin to imagine all kinds of horrible scenarios against that person. You dream vengeance against a person who has slandered you. You harbor a lust (…and I’ll stop there), or nurse envy or resentment, or imagine a world with you at center stage. You scroll through your media, and an hour goes by before you snap out of it. You watch one TV show and then, before you realize it, you binged the season.

Today I'm thinking about my thought life. Solomon wrote, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." (Proverbs 4:23) King David said that we believers are planted by streams of water (God's life-giving words). We have turned away from the counsel of the world and are to constantly meditate on God's truth (Psalm 1:1-3). In so doing, we bear fruit. And we do not wilt, nor are we blown away as chaff!

There are consequences that come from where our minds are focused: "For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:8) Though there is a seemingly endless variety of things to think about, ultimately there are only two fields for meditation. There are the desires of the Holy Spirit, and there are the lusts of the flesh (cf. Galatians 5). Just as in our gardens there are two choices -- the plants we want (fruits and vegetables) and everything else (designated weeds). One consequence is blessing, the other is corruption.

Further, Paul says that this sowing and reaping is related to our mindset: "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." (Romans 8:5-6) The word Paul uses here is phronēma (φρόνημα) which has to do not with random thoughts but rather with the overall mindset of the person, his or her intentions, aspirations, and outlook. A "mind set on the Spirit" indicates a person who is actively striving to understand and walk in God's ways. It means mental focus, like in Colossians 3:2 and Philippians 4:8.

This certainly implies intentionality on our part, and sustained action. We live in a fallen universe in which there are social dynamics (and spiritual powers) seeking to conform us (and captivate us) to thought patterns that are hostile to God: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2)

Paul says that we need to exercise godly self-control over our thought life: "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ..." (2 Corinthians 10:5) And, "I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:3). The point is, as Solomon noted, we need to keep our heart -- with its musings, dreams, desires, plans, and intentions -- under the control of the Holy Spirit and Scripture.

Today especially, there is a technological dimension to all of this. Stuart Russell, professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, writes, "Typically, [internet] algorithms are designed to maximize click-through, that is, the probability that the user clicks on presented items. The solution is simply to present items that the user likes to click on, right? Wrong. The solution is to change the user’s preferences so that they become more predictable." Then he adds, "...it also points to the severe vulnerability of the human race to manipulation via screens." (Stuart Russell, Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control) (2020)

Did you note that? “…to change the user’s preferences… severe vulnerability of the human race to manipulation…”?

As well, Oxford Mathematician John Lennox writes, "Almost unawares, we are already abdicating our decisions to AI systems that know more than we do about virtually everything about us – our preferences; our habits; our jobs; our contacts; our travels; what we eat, wear, read, see, believe; our health – both physical and emotional – and our finances. We consult the web about most things, and we shall inevitably start to allow the web to make our decisions for us." (John Lennox, 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity) (2024)

Well, that’s sobering, to say the least.

All this is to say that neither our minds nor our world is idling in neutral. We must put our minds in gear for the glory of God, for truth, and for eternal good. We should beware of sowing to the flesh, of setting our minds on things that corrupt, and of being conformed to a worldly mindset.

IN OTHER LINKS.

-- On The Christian Mind toward authority, by Harry Blamires.

-- Some quotes on technology, education, and media.

-- Peace is not the mere absence of conflict. (Ray Stedman)

FINAL QUOTE.

"The human being is not the creator and former of the world... To the contrary, it is the human who has to conform his perception and thinking to God's revelation in nature and grace..." (Herman Bavinck, Christian Worldview)

That's it for this week!

Sandy

Afterwords is an occasional newsletter on topics of interest to me (Sandy Young) since my retirement from full-time pastoral ministry. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.