Tuesday, June 06, 2023

"What You Think May Matter More Than You Think"

1st Chronicles 9.1b NLT

The people of Judah were exiled to Babylon because they were unfaithful to the Lord.”

What is smaller than a fleeting thought? Not much. According to research conducted by “Google Answers”[1], the number of thoughts passing daily through a person’s mind ranges from 12,000 to 65,000. That’s a lot of thinking; a new thought every single waking second! If “a penny for your thoughts” came true, it’s an easy $500.00 per day or over $180,000 per year. Plenty for most folks to retire on. Unfortunately our thoughts aren’t worth “a penny.”

Realistically, most thoughts are probably worth nothing at all. Dr. Deepak Chopra once quoted a study that concluded of the approximately 65,000 thoughts per day, about 95% of them are exactly the same thoughts that passed through our minds the day before. This would  indicate our thoughts are worth less than nothing. In fact, some of our thoughts may have a minus, negative value or destructive impact. They cost us something to have them!

Jesus said, “Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones” (Luke 16.10 TEV). A thought is a small thing and yet Jesus claimed there was a connection between that which is small and that which is large.

The connection is our faithfulness. Are we faithful to think good thoughts or do we allow ourselves the luxury of negative thinking? People with negative thoughts are easy to spot. Their face and words normally betray their negativism. 

People with negative thoughts talk about them. Jesus warned, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (Matthew 12.34 NASU). They can’t help themselves. Negative thinkers seek and always find someone to spew to. What’s inside of them eventually surfaces.

Start thinking God thoughts, as the Apostle Paul said... 

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is
right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”
Philippians 4.8 NIV

Thoughts, as small as they are individually, will accumulate and can easily mount up to something large over the course of a decade, a year, a week, or even a single day. If we are “unfaithful to the Lord” in the small matter of our thought life, we may end up like “the people of Judah... exiled to [the] Babylon” of our own making.

What you think may matter more than you think.
____________________

[1] http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=149262

5 comments:

Unknown said...

[quote]
Most of us just need to get over ourselves and start thinking about the things of God. The Apostle Paul told us what those things were…
[/quote]

Isn’t this the truth. I think at times we are all guilty of this; we need to try to put others before us and stop loving self more than anything else. He world teaches us that it is all about ourselves, when Jesus teachers us, it is about others and to put them before yourself. When we can actually give it all to Jesus, and start walking in faith, then we can begin to serve Him worry free.

Mark 10:31 KJV But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

Man do I have a lot of growing to do still.

Thanks for sharing this.

davescriven said...

Hey JOV. Once again, I agree with you wholeheartedly.

Your Friend,
Davce

Unknown said...

Thanks, Dave, for the devotional. I can put this into practice tonight before I go to bed. I have that passage memorized, and need to apply it!

Craig Freeman

Anonymous said...

What about if i'm thinking of how to fix the wretched society that I was born in, that is not true, thatsi not noble, that is not right, that is not pure, neither lovely nor admirtable. can I think of such things, which despite international efforts to improve/ change/ alleviate, continue to worsen each time becoming more wretched than was previously wretched

davescriven said...

Hi gnstr. Only Jesus can fix society. I agree there are wretched elements (corruption, injustice, greed, etc.), but there is also hope. Jesus will return one day to restore this planet and institute His plan. This is a thought that we can all cherish.