To set our minds on the things of the Spirit we need to be taking in what is good. If we allow our minds to be open sewer grates and give no regard for what goes in, we will have no control on how we think, or what we think about.
One of the great ways to bring the mind into control is to feed it properly. Renewing the mind is not just a matter of keeping some things out. It is a matter of putting right things in.
Reading well is a challenge. We have more books than ever before… but we may be reading less. I don’t want to talk about volume. But when you read what do you read?
I am not a fiction buff. I love theology, history, Bible study, biographies… non-fiction in general. Others love fiction and they use it to sharpen their minds, or it just feeds their minds well.
There are times I read for “escape.” If I read fiction, it has to be fast moving.
There are times I read to sharpen my own skills. Currently I am undertaking the suicidal task of Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics. I am trying to stretch myself and learn directly from a man I have long admired. It ain’t easy! I may be admiring him less! 😉
Above all, I read to feed.
When I am reading, I am thinking. My brain is in motion. It’s positive motion if I am taking in good stuff.
What are you reading?
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