Mohler Jr. R. Albert - Thinking. Loving. Doing. (Contributions by: a Call to Glorify God with Heart and Mind

We thank God for Rick Warren, R. C. Sproul, Al Mohler, Thabiti Anyabwile, and Francis Chan, who not only participated in the conference in October of 2010 but also gave the extra time to revise and expand their messages into the preceding chapters. The partnership in the gospel we share with these five brothers is rich and a gift beyond words. Thank God for such dear comrades in the Cause.

We thank God for Lane Dennis, Justin Taylor, Lydia Brownback, and the many at Crossway who now have partnered with us for eight volumes growing out of the annual Desiring God National Conference each fall. We are increasingly grateful for the profound theological and ministry partnership we share with the team at Crossway.

We thank God for Jon Bloom, Scott Anderson, and the team at Desiring God who invest countless hours in planning and executing both the fall conference and the winter conference for pastors.

We thank God for Nathan Miller, who has partnered with us in this ministry for over four years while completing his seminary studies. His joyful service and knack for anticipating needs before they arise have been a significant manifestation of grace to us.

We thank God for Bethlehem, her support, and the leadership of her council of forty elders. May God grant that her love and mission and service in the Twin Cities continue to increase. Lets keep torching the glacier.

We thank God for the unique strength and joy he gives through our wives, and children still in the housefor John, Nol and Talitha; for David, Megan and Carson and Cole.

Finally, and most significantly, we thank God for Jesus, who loved us and gave himself up for us (Eph. 5:2). Not only has God demonstrated his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8)unspeakably and eternally preciousbut he also has given the Spirit of Jesus to us and the other contributors (and all those in Jesus). All good in this volume is ultimately owning to the Giver of every good gift and every perfect gift (James 1:17). The errors, oversights, and overstatements are ours.

May the person and work of Jesus be more engaged by minds, treasured by hearts, and displayed by hands because of this book. May Jesus Christ be praised.

David Mathis

Twin Cities, Minnesota

Cinco de Mayo, 2011

Thinking.

Loving.

Doing.

OTHER CROSSWAY BOOKS:

With Calvin in the Theater of God, 2010

The Power of Words and the Wonder of God, 2009

Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints, 2008

The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World, 2007

Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, 2006

Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, 2005

A God-Entranced Vision of All Things, 2004

T O
J OHN F RAME and V ERN P OYTHRESS
who have taught us so well
through the life of the mind
not to neglect our hearts
or our hands

Thinking. Loving. Doing.: A Call to Glorify God with Heart and Mind

Copyright 2011 by Desiring God Ministries

Published by Crossway
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Cover design: Patrick Mahoney of The Mahoney Design Team

First printing 2011

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ICB are taken from the International Childrens Bible. Copyright 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Biblica.

Scripture references marked NLT are from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Ill., 60189.
All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the authors.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-2651-0
PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-2652-7
Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-2653-4
ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-2654-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Thinking. loving. doing.: a call to glorify God with heart and mind / John Piper and David Mathis, general editors ; contributors, Rick Warren... [et al.].

p. cm.

Proceedings of a conference.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN 978-1-4335-2651-0 (tp)

1. Thought and thinkingReligious aspectsChristianityCongresses. 2. LoveReligious aspectsChristianityCongresses. 3. God (Christianity)Worship and loveCongresses. 4. Christian lifeCongresses. I. Piper, John, 1946- . II. Mathis, David, 1980- . III. Warren, Richard, 1954- . IV. Title.

BV4598.4.T45 2011

248dc22 2011012815

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

LB 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11

14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

A violent battle is raging around us twenty-four hours per day.

In 1965, Donald Grey Barnhouse wrote a book about it called The Invisible War. It is the battle for your mind, and that battle is vicious. It is intense. It is unrelenting, and it is unfair because Satan never plays fair. And the reason why it is so intense is that your greatest asset is your mind.

I have seen the face of mental illness. I have seen what it is like when people are unable to hear God because their minds are broken and cannot seem to connect to God even when they want to connect to God. And I know whatever gets your mind gets you. So one of the most important things we need to learn and teach others is how to guard, strengthen, and renew our minds, because the battle for sin always starts in the mind.

There are many passages in Scripture that we could look at in this chapter, but I want us to focus in on one, 2 Corinthians 10:35: