Our mind, or rather our thinking, is shaped by what we deal with every day—for better or for worse. Those things we hear, see, or think about influence our inner attitude, even if we may not always be aware of it. This is true of worldly music and films, among other things, as well as many internet sites and forms of social media, which often—without us noticing it—inject us with the world’s way of thinking.

When we read the word of God instead, and engage with things that have eternal value, our mindset is renewed and shaped in a positive way. We can compare this with the daily intake of food. God created humans as dependent creatures who cannot live without food. Just as our outer man needs something to eat every day, so our inner man needs spiritual food every day. How easy it is to forget this in everyday life! The Lord Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life and called on His disciples to feed on Him (Jn. 6:54–56). But what does this mean for us in practical terms? How does one do this? To eat something means to internalize it. In order to “internalize” the Lord Jesus, we must engage with Him, for example by studying His life in the four Gospel accounts.

But we do not have to limit ourselves to the Gospels. The Epistles also show us many glories of the Son of God that we should reflect on. For example, we can occupy ourselves with the titles that are given to Him there. What do these titles mean? What is the place like where He is right now? What is He doing there now in glory? When we have His person before our eyes in this way, the Holy Spirit does something wonderful in us: He transforms us more and more into the image of our Lord!