Living in the Garden of Grace: A Higher Level of Thinking and Living
(Insights from Living in the Garden of Grace)
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” — Isaiah 55:8-9
Our natural inclination is to assess life through the lens of personal logic, comfort, and understanding. Like Paul, we may encounter situations where our first response is, This must change. Yet, God invites us into a higher way of thinking—a perspective that aligns with His wisdom rather than our own.
Paul’s struggle with his thorn in the flesh illustrates this transformation. Initially, he pleaded with the Lord for relief, convinced that removal was the best solution. But God revealed a deeper reality: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The very thing Paul wished to escape became the vessel for experiencing God’s power. In embracing God’s perspective, he discovered that circumstances do not define life’s quality—God’s life within does.
Colossians 3:1-4 provides the key to this higher way of thinking:
Since you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Imagine a mountaintop traveler. At the base of the mountain, the landscape is obscured by tangled brush and rocky terrain. The climb is steep, but as they ascend, their perspective broadens. From the summit, what once seemed chaotic now forms a breathtaking masterpiece. This is what happens when we shift from earthly reasoning to divine wisdom. From our position in Christ, enthroned with Him, we are no longer trapped in the confusion of earthly circumstances but see life through the clarity of His eternal purpose.
Living from a Higher Perspective
Rather than reacting to difficulty with frustration, we trust Christ’s life within to work all things for good.
Instead of clinging to our own wisdom, we draw from the mind of Christ, receiving His thoughts as our own.
Rather than striving to change our situation, we yield, knowing that God is working in ways beyond what we can comprehend.
When we embrace this way of thinking, life is no longer lived from the valley of human reasoning but from the heights of divine understanding. In Christ, we are seated above—let us think and live from that position.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, You have lifted us to a place of rest in Christ, where Your thoughts become our thoughts, and Your ways become our ways. We rejoice in every circumstance, knowing that Your grace is always more than enough. Thank You for renewing our minds and teaching us to see as You see. We walk today in the reality of our union with Christ, living from the abundance of Your wisdom, peace, and purpose. Amen.
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Devotional insights from: Living in the Garden of Grace