The Perfect Mindset

Does a perfect standard for human thinking exist and, if so, what is it? This question’s importance lies in the fact that the answer serves as a constant, reliable guide for everything we think and do.

Many respond to this question with words like love, faith, and obedience. And while all these are desirable, each is subordinate to an even greater, over-arching quality as revealed in the Word of God. Notice how absolute and all-compassing are the words in Proverbs 3:5-6:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.

This is the constant challenge for all believers: to learn to trust God with every aspect of our lives. It means that we should often ask ourselves if there is any aspect or part of our lives where we don’t trust God. Here I use the word “any” in an absolute, all-inclusive way.

God’s plan of redemption as revealed in the Scriptures teaches that His constant presence in our lives enables us to grow in our ability to turn the totality of our lives over to Him. It is a lifelong process of developing an intimate and close relationship with Him. My Life Essentials Study Bible, Principle #8, page 836 in Proverbs describes this process of sanctification in terms of a mandate:

To walk in God’s will, we must allow His Word to penetrate our innermost being.

Applying this principle is Proverbs 3:5-6 in action. Incidentally, when I became a believer 68 years ago, I chose this passage as my “life verses,” and God has been faithful.