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Romans 8:5

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.

From the time I played 10-and-under baseball, the sport occupied way too much of my mind. Growing up in the home state of Mickey Mantle, Bobby Murcer, and Johnny Bench, I dreamed of following their paths. I played on Little League teams, in pick-up games, high school, American Legion, and semi-pro. I settled for a college career when it became obvious that the major leagues were way out of my skill range. My college choice had absolutely nothing to do with what I wanted to study or the quality of the school. I went to the place that offered me the most scholarship money and a chance to start my freshman year. My mind was set on playing baseball in college, and that focus guided the path of my young adult years. It’s a straightforward formula: Your focus becomes your fascination—for better or worse. That same formula applies in our spiritual lives.

If your thinking, emotions, and desires are set on what your sinful nature wants, that’s the way you will live your life. You will chase after worldly things. You will collect material stuff. You will give your life to that which is temporal. Solomon tried this lifestyle, and he concluded it was all “meaningless,” as futile as “chasing after the wind.”

On the other hand, if your thinking, emotions, and desires are set on what the Holy Spirit desires, you will live your life under his control. You will, by his strength, choose obedience over pleasure. You will, in his power, focus on spiritual endeavors. You will, under his guidance, invest in things that last for eternity.

Dear heavenly Father, I can so easily be distracted by the trivial and temporal. Please capture my mind and keep it set on you. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

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