Many things begin as "an idea." The "idea" exists in your mind and thoughts, but you do not know where your "idea" exists as a reality. Therefore you do one of three things. Either you "make" what you "have in mind"; or you find someone else who can "make" what you "have in mind"; or you "search" for what you "have in mind."

All of us commonly use this process. You want a different house. You "have in mind" exactly what you want. You look for "what I have in mind." You want a different car. You "have in mind" exactly what you want. You look for "what I have in mind." That is the common process used when we need a unique tool for a job, a unique machine for a need, a special article of clothing, a computer system, etc.

When you "know what you want," you explain to someone who does not "see" your mental picture, "I will know it when I see it." When you see it, you declare, "Now that is what I had in mind!" What joy when we locate "what I had in mind!"

When God created the universe, He had something "in mind." When He brought humanity into existence, He had something "in mind." When temptation won in the garden of Eden, God did not abandon what He had "in mind." When evil perverted His creation and people, God did not abandon what He had "in mind." God pursued what He had "in mind" with great patience, mercy, and love. God used Jesus' death and resurrection to create the renewed opportunity for what He had "in mind" for humanity.

But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth (Ephesians 4:20-24).

QUESTION: Does God look at your heart, your mind, your emotions, your commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, your dedication to godly living, and the way you treat other people and say, "Now that is what I had in mind!"