We have the mind of Christ. Yet I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit, but as people who are still worldly, brothers and sisters. (1 Corinthians 2:16-3:1)

Another tell-tale sign that we have distance ourselves from our first love is what I call a “putting up with God” attitude. When the direction Jesus leads us in seem more like obstructions to our aspirations or restrictions to our happiness we’re well off the path of our first love.

It’s not like we’re disobedient. We may be the picture of submission and dutiful to whatever Jesus asks, but…our compliance isn’t exactly unstinting. Eagerness wouldn’t quite describe it. Perhaps resigned to our fate. Sometimes we’re downright fatalistic about Jesus’ path for us.

And this quickly develops into a bad case of legalism…doing the right things for the wrong reasons. Going through the motions. Following the map but unenthused by the route and disinterested in the destination.

Putting up with God and His plans for our lives is not loving the Lord. It’s not having the mind of Christ. We don’t have the heart of Christ.

It is telling that in today’s verse, Paul associates having the mind of Christ with living in the Holy Spirit. Or perhaps it’s the other way around: Living in the Holy Spirit is a prerequisite to having the mind of Christ.

First-love faith is characterized by being of one mind and heart with Jesus. It’s not that we won’t have doubts or reservations, but our reluctance is overcome by trust in Him; our fears are overcome by faith and openness with Jesus about what we’re feeling.

Having the mind of Christ means sharing the perspective of Jesus, and it is something that all believers can have. It means we identify with Jesus’ purpose and share Jesus’ perspective of humility, compassion, and prayerful dependence on God (Luke 5:16, Phil 2:5-8, Matt 9:36).

As we walk with Him day in and day out, we become intimate with what He likes and dislikes and why; we see what He sees and hear what He hears. We know what He cares about and we know what he thinks is insignificant or distracting.

Not only that, we witness how He responds to affirmation and criticism, expectations and disappointments, fullness and loss, faithfulness and accusations, freedom and manipulation, joy and sorrow, honor and rejection, and we learn what He thinks about ourselves.

All of this enables us to see and think more and more from God’s perspective. Instead of “putting up with God” we’re participating in the mind of Christ.

Happy Valentine’s Day!