The Kingdom Mindset

There’s something sacred about small, ordinary moments—those times when God shows us just how much He’s been working beneath the surface of our hearts. Sometimes it’s not through a worship service or a mountaintop revelation. Sometimes, it’s through a drive-through window.

All summer long I’ve been drinking Celsius energy drinks—quick, convenient, and cold. But something about the crisp fall air has me craving lattes and warm drinks again. So, this morning, I decided to stop by a coffee shop I hadn’t tried in many years. Not one of the big chains, but a chain none the less.

Since I was trying something new, I figured I’d go all in—coffee and breakfast. The menu had a sandwich that looked incredible, loaded with multiple meats and melty cheese. As I pulled up to the drive-through, the worker let me know their rewards system was down. No big deal, I thought, I haven’t been here forever anyway. I placed my order and waited in the long line ahead of me.

When I finally got to the window, the young man informed me with a weary smile, “Actually, our entire system is down—it runs on Amazon Web Services—and we can’t process payments. So… it’s on us today.”

At first, I smiled and thought, Thanks, God! A free meal? I’ll take it. My total would’ve been around fifteen dollars. I even had that fleeting sense of blessing we get when something unexpectedly good happens. But as I waited for my sandwich, my thoughts began to shift.

I looked at the cars behind me, the line stretching through the parking lot. Every order, every latte, every sandwich—free. This company was losing money hand over fist, all because of a system outage. And then I looked back at the employee, who was clearly some kind of supervisor, and I could tell it was weighing on him.

That’s when another thought came—quiet, simple, and unmistakably not my own. You could do something.

I remembered the twenty-dollar bill in my wallet. I knew they couldn’t ring anything up or give change, but I felt compelled to act. I told the young man, “Hey, I’d still like to pay for my meal.”

He looked surprised. “I really can’t ring it up,” he said.

“That’s okay,” I replied. “Take this twenty and set it aside. When things come back online, you can ring it up later.”

His expression changed—like someone had just lifted a small weight from his shoulders. He nodded slowly and said, “Thank you so much.” When he handed me my food, I simply smiled and said, “God bless you. I hope your day gets better.”

He smiled again, this time with genuine warmth. And that was it. A small interaction. A $20 bill. But it felt like something deeper had happened.

I didn’t share this to pat myself on the back. If I’m honest, there have been plenty of days when my reaction would’ve been different. Days when I would’ve said, “Wow, free food! Thanks, God!” and driven off without another thought. And I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.

But lately, I’ve noticed something changing in me to a deeper level and maybe you’ve felt it too as you’ve grown closer to God at times. When we spend time in God’s presence, something begins to shift inside us. Our “auto-response” starts to look more and more like His heart.

Romans 12:2 (CSB) says: “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

Transformation doesn’t happen in a single moment—it’s a process of continual renewal. The more time we spend with Jesus—through prayer, worship, Scripture, and simple awareness—the more our instincts change. The thoughts that used to come first (“What’s in it for me?”) get replaced by something better (“How can I bless someone else?”).

That’s what happened in that drive-through. My first thought was, I got blessed. My second thought, renewed by His Spirit, was How can I bless them?

The world teaches us to look out for ourselves—to grab every advantage, every deal, every “win.” But Christ calls us to something countercultural. He calls us to give rather than get, to serve rather than be served, and to see others instead of just ourselves.

Philippians 2:3–5 (CSB) captures this mindset beautifully: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus…”

When we draw near to Him, this isn’t just something we try to do—it starts to become who we are. The Holy Spirit begins rewriting our reflexes. Our auto-response becomes generosity instead of greed, compassion instead of complaint, patience instead of pride.

That’s why spiritual habits matter so much.If I hadn’t started my morning in the Word—if I hadn’t been worshiping on my drive—I might’ve completely missed what God wanted to do in that moment. But because my heart was tuned toward Him, I could sense His nudge. And when I followed it, even in something small, I felt His peace settle in.

Will that $20 change the world? No. But maybe it made a tough day just a little brighter for a young manager who was trying to keep things together. Maybe it reminded him that there are still people who care. Maybe it even made him curious about why someone would do something like that.

You see, God often works through our smallest acts of obedience. When our hearts are aligned with His, even a drive-through moment can become an opportunity for His love to shine.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 (CSB): “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

That’s what transformation looks like—not perfection, but a pattern of Spirit-led responses that point others toward Him. As followers of Christ, we’re not called to have perfect days. We’re called to walk closely enough with Him that even our imperfect days reflect His presence. That’s why the mindset shift matters so deeply—it changes the way we see everything.

When you start your morning with Him, your entire day looks different. When you fill your mind with truth, lies lose their power. When your heart is anchored in His grace, gratitude becomes your instinct. And over time, you’ll notice the same thing I did today: Your auto-response will begin to change.

So tomorrow morning, whether you’re at a coffee shop, a job site, or just in traffic, ask yourself: “What does Christ want my auto-response to be right now?” Because every time we choose His way over ours, heaven gets a little closer to earth.