Luke 5:22 (NIV®)
Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?”
I’m not an expert in the Christian walk. I have to work at it every day. If we’re honest with each other and ourselves, if we’re trying to do our best and stay in tune with God, we all have to work at it every day.
One thing I’m realizing more and more is how intricate our thoughts are in our Christian walk. It is not just our actions that reveal our heart. Our actions stem from our thoughts. Our thoughts reveal our heart. Thoughts take us down the path to pretty much everything we do. The catch is, can we identify them and direct them so we end up where we want to be.
How often are our thoughts in direct opposition to Christ and His way? We hear someone say “praise God” because of answered prayer in their lives and we become jealous because our prayers weren’t answered in that way. Someone tells us to trust God for healing and our thoughts question that because we known people who weren’t healed. We read a verse that tells us that God provides and our thoughts immediately reject that word because of our perception of a past experience. We think God should have done something different in those scenarios and because He didn’t, we question His ability or at least His willingness to do what we ask. So our response to scripture or a word from someone else is tempered by our opinion of our experience, as if our viewpoint or our past outcomes are more reliable than God or His word. We know better – right?
What about our immediate thoughts when we see payback for someone who has offended us? Something negative happens to someone and we almost take pleasure because “karma” bites. Do we catch ourselves and realize we never forgave them to begin with? Do we stop and forgive them and then pray for The Lord to work in their lives? Do we ask The Lord to be kind to them and not hold against them what they did to us? How should we think? Remember Stephen? (Acts 7:54-60)
How about when we see something offensive or suggestive? Our thoughtful response in these instances creates the pathway for future thoughts and actions. It is like an open door into a world of ugly and unwholesome or upright and holy. One thought leads to another, leads to another, and another, and another. We consciously recognize our internal response and evaluate whether that is the response we want or don’t want, as we strive to live uprightly before God. Hopefully we make the choice to take control of our thoughts and bring them under the authority of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Our thoughts reveal our heart and determine our trajectory. They can spurn or inspire our faith. When our heart is revealed we can deal with it before God. When our heart is revealed and renewed by God, our walk better represents the life Christ intends for us. Our thoughts are submitted to Him and our hearts are faithful. That is why thoughts matter.
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