Thinking Spiritually

“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” In Mere Christianity, Christian advocate C.S. Lewis put it succinctly. Happiness and peace are found only in our faith in God and our relationship with Him. To enable this faith and relationship, we must focus our minds on God, thinking spiritually—"filled with holy desires and purposes."

"Christian spirituality implies an understanding of God, the material world, and human identity," as stated by Oxford Research. They call it "life-as-a-whole." Another gem from Mere Christianity is memorable: “Aim at heaven [thinking spiritually] and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.”

Perspectives for thinking spiritually.

Having been a Christian pastor for 50 years, John W. Ritenbaugh gave a perspective to perspective:

If we are standing beside someone and looking at an object, say, a tree, both are looking at it from the same perspective and see essentially the same thing. But if we step 20, 30, or 40 feet to one side, the perspective from which we now observe the tree begins to change. Now we see things that may not have been visible [standing] side by side with the other person.

That is how it is with God. When we are one with Him, we look at things exactly as He does. When we are not in unity with Him, it is as though we have stepped away from Him, and we begin to see things from a different perspective.

Russell M. Nelson has stepped into many perspectives: He was a world-renowned surgeon, medical researcher, and international surgical consultant; he is now leader of a worldwide Christian denomination. But he never stepped away from his perspective of faith in God and the importance of thinking spiritually.

I invite you to take the long view—an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement. It is also dependent upon your obedience to [Him, which] paves the way for a joyful life for you today and a grand, eternal reward tomorrow.

Nelson mentioned times when thinking spiritually is especially important: pondering a difficult decision, facing temptation, being disappointed by a loved one or by life in general, grieving when a loved one suffers premature death or endures prolonged suffering, experiencing a serious illness or injury, or feeling overcome by life's pressures and stresses. But despite opposition, when you are thinking spiritually "your heart will gradually change. You will want to pray more often and more sincerely . . . The Lord's perspective transcends your mortal wisdom."

Both Nelson and Ritenbaugh center their perspective on Christ and His incomparable sacrifice for us. Ritenbaugh wrote,

[Christ] did  it for all of mankind, but He did it for you as an individual. This is the path that one has to take in his thinking . . . to recognize the cost that was made for you and me . . . we owe our life to Him.

Nelson, reflecting on "intense pain" during a recent injury, testified,

I have felt even deeper appreciation for Jesus Christ and the incomprehensible gift of His Atonement . . .The Savior suffered “pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind” so that He can comfort us, heal us, rescue us in times of need.

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis shared his perspective: “When Christ died, he died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only person in the world."

Ways of thinking spiritually.

Being of infinite worth, thinking spiritually requires effort. Spiritual thinking and Christian living require what Mere Christianity warns "will take the whole of you": the "almost impossible thing is to hand over your whole self—all your wishes and precautions — to Christ.”

Spirituality of love.

British Christian leader Alan T. Phillips explained, "You are not an accidental by-product of nature, a cosmic orphan, or the result of matter plus time plus chance. Where there is design, there is a designer. Your life has meaning and purpose." Christ's parables, examples, and teachings are not about abstract "people," but about everyday people recognizing the importance of thinking spiritually—given in love for that purpose.

We must obey commandments and follow examples. But for those thinking spiritually there is more. Christian author and speaker Robert M. Daines recalled a time in his life when he felt overcome by "a thicket of rules," explaining, "I saw rules, but not the face of the Father's mercy." Recognizing his problem, he read and reread the Gospels, looking past rules "to see who He is and what He loves. And, in time, I was swept away by the river of love that flowed from Him."7 Rule obedience alone obscures this love; feeling it requires thinking spiritually.

Spirituality of inclusion.

The Christian website Compelling Truth emphasizes inclusiveness in thinking spiritually: "The principle of integrated and authentic faith and action . . . [is] essential to Christian spirituality." Thus "Christian spirituality is concerned for all of a person's life . . . how all of life connects to our relationship with God." The author includes what seem like worldly matters, including finances, healthy daily practices, and social life, as they reflect our heart's attitudes.8   What you treasure will claim your heart (see Matthew 6:21).

Recall that when Abraham and Lot arrived together in their promised land, Lot chose land near Sodom, facing the entrance of his tent toward the sinful city. But Abraham, thinking spiritually and living in obedience to God, first built an altar to offer sacrifices, opening his tent in this direction. Abraham continued his spiritual, obedient life; Lot continued his dedication to luxuries and possessions. When destruction rained on Sodom, Lot was forced up a mountain, coveting still his lost earthly treasures. Lot's life continued tragic and hopeless.

Spirituality informed.

Most of us don't need to choose between Sodom and sainthood, but we may experience questions and struggles when thinking spiritually. According to C.S. Lewis, “There would be no sense in saying you trusted Jesus if you would not take his advice.” Religious content on Britannica research helps us find His advice:

[The Bible], the most available, familiar, and dependable source and arbiter of intellectual, moral, and spiritual ideals in the West. The great biblical themes are God, his revealed works of creation, provision, judgment, and deliverance, his covenant, and his promises. The Bible sees what happens to humankind in the light of God’s nature, righteousness, faithfulness, mercy, and love.

Christian authors recommend daily Bible study for thinking spiritually. Focus, concentration, and meditation enhance our knowledge and understanding. Matthew 22:37-38 gives the basis for it all:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

The Christian website World of Hope points out the interrelation: both "center on love." The author explained, "only when we have been transformed by God’s grace, only when God’s Spirit lives in us inspiring and empowering us, will we really be able to live for others in the same way that Jesus did." Another devoted Christian applied this: "One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people."

Recall that Jesus opened his ministry reading Isaiah's prophecy of His compassionate mission.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed  me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.

The angry listeners attempting to kill Him could not compete with truth and revelation. The Lord and the oppressed were to be His focus (Luke 4:17-21; 29-32).

Returning to perspectives.

This article began with perspectives on thinking spiritually. To end with after or because of perspectives may be appropriate. It also began with C.S. Lewis and Mere Christianity, and we return to his perspectives with his analogy. “The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man’s self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred.” Keeping yourself as clean and perfect as you can enables you to more sensitively and accurately see the clean and perfect Christ.

The website Compelling Truth brought three participants together:  "Christian spirituality is for the honor of God, personal maturity, and . .  a blessing to others, both through the good deeds that take place . . . [and] a heart attitude that points others to God.

During creation of the earth, God pronounced the work "good," giving valuation as aspects of His perfect plan reached reality. When the final work was completed,  "God saw every thing that He had made . . . it was very good" (Genesis 1, italics in the original). Observing and evaluating have consistently been important to creation and progression.

Dallan H. Oaks—legal researcher, professor, and justice—is now applying his legal mind and experience to thinking spiritually. He wrote,

To the faithful, spirituality is a lens through which we view life and a gauge by which we evaluate it . . . To be spiritually minded is to view and evaluate our experiences in terms of the enlarged perspective of eternity.

He explained, we view the world through our own personal lens, giving our particular tint to what our eyes experience. This tint can reduce or even hide some things and emphasize others. It may enable us to see things we would not have noticed. "Through the lens of spirituality, we can know “the things of God” by “the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11).

Recall, as he did, the Martha-Mary contrast in Luke 10: 38-42. Christ's words are familiar to devout Christians: "One thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Through a limited lens, some have gauged the words as an undeserved personal rebuke of Martha, rather than a tender lesson enlightening Martha, who in other scripture was impressively thinking spiritually.

Or course, we are human. Our ideas and emotions go in many directions, and our minds can be slippery things. Thinking spiritually involves adjustment and repentance. Recognizing our human instability, Lewis pounded his Christianity podium: “Though our feelings come and go, his love for us does not.”