Anytime someone says, “It’s personal”, you immediately know that the intensity, importance, and motivation has just been taken to a new level. It changes everything when things get personal.

“It’s personal” is not simply a statement it is also a strategy for growth in Christ. Learning theology does not make us a better Christian. Living it does.

How do we have the mind of Christ?

1) Rejoice always. Be a people who count your blessings. A regular, even daily in my mind, practice of gratitude puts us in the right mindset to tackle life.

2) Be gentle. The NLT says be “considerate”. The RSV says “forbearance. And John Wesley translates this word “yieldingness.” Now, that is a whole new scary meaning. Be a people who are known for yielding instead of demanding their way. To yield without being a doormat who enables bad behavior takes wisdom for discernment. We cannot have yieldingness without the Holy Spirit working.

3) Pray. Be a people who pray instead of fret.

4) Virtues. Be a people who focus on the virtues in life and not the vices.

With this as the backdrop, Paul knew we could turn our attention to life’s circumstances and relationships with a peace of mind that surpasses all understanding. The tool of peace given to you by Christ’s Spirit which is known as the mind of Christ. Peace does not mean absence of conflict, it means assurance in the middle of it. Peace doesn’t happen by standing still and waiting for something magical to happen.