Friday, October 15, 2010

Subtle Shift Follow Up

In the previous post I asked readers to identify a "subtle shift" in the preacher's message.

In my opinion, the shift is seen with just one word. Compare the following sentences:


Your mental state is totally dependent on what you think about. (original statement)


Your mental state is totally dependent on who you think about. (what I wish he had said)


Ultimately, this is not just a case of nit-picking words. Certainly, a person could say what you think about and can mean thinking of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. However, when Scripture tells us to turn our eyes to Christ, it is not the same thing to focus on Christianity.

This was the tension I felt as I heard the pastor preach. Christian lives are not changed by focussing on what Christian lives should look like. Lives are changed as we look to Christ. We don't focus on things, we focus on Him.

The shift is subtle, but it's also massive.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Subtle Shift

I recently heard a pastor sharing a message, where in the midst of the message he quoted Isaiah 26:3, in the NLT:

You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
His next words:
Your mental state is totally dependent on what you think about.
Catch the shift? (Offer it in the comment section.)