“Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character.” This little proverb that’s been around for centuries is as true today as when the person that first said it gave it birth. Proverbs 23:7a says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Our minds are important. As a matter of fact, they are probably the most important aspect of our daily lives. It is imperative that we think right. Why? Because we are all born with a bent toward not thinking right. The Bible teaches us that our minds are constantly being attacked by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Wrong thinking can leave us confused, troubled, dull, blind, corrupt, deluded, and sinful, along with more that describes our condition when we think wrong. People today, even Christians, have a difficult time making right choices because of listening to the wrong things and godless advice. Next week, I will have a funeral for a life-long friend. He had battled the attacks of the wicked one for decades. The attacks seem to escalate and lately he wasn’t thinking right. I don’t know everything that was happening in his mind, but he decided life wasn’t worth living anymore. Others also make choices based on faulty thinking and their lives are constantly in disarray and anxiety. Everyone doesn’t make the choice he did, but their choices nonetheless have consequences. I recently heard a person say, “we are the most educated civilization in history.” Well, we may have more knowledge (and I doubt that statement personally) about certain subjects today, but there is no way we are the wisest civilization ever to live. We have adults telling children in elementary school that it is great that they are confused about which restroom to use because of their gender confusion. Mentally ill men claiming to be women are ruining women’s sports in high schools and colleges across the country. The two most dangerous places in America right now are the womb and the classrooms of the schools and colleges. II Timothy 3:7 says that these types of people are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
As Christians we need to think right. We ought to have a biblical worldview. I’ll begin a three-week series on “A Biblical Worldview” on September 12th. What does a biblical worldview mean? Simply put, we agree with God and His Word and make decisions accordingly. Once we begin to cultivate a biblical mindset we then move to everyday thinking. Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Don’t dwell 24/7 on the things you see on the local and national news. In the news business “if it bleeds it leads.” Stay informed, but don’t let these things rob you of joy that comes from thinking right. Jesus saved you, isn’t that joyous? If you walk with God your needs will be supplied, isn’t that joyous? You opened your eyes this morning, isn’t that joyous? If you think right you could make a list of fifty things right now to thank God for.
Let me give you a quick story about thinking right. Roughly 3-4 years ago, one of our men, Hollis Reese, was at a hospital with a family member who was having surgery. He himself had been battling sickness for a good while. He and I were talking and I asked him about a couple of his grandkids. He began telling me about one of them who was now driving. The old truck he had needed work and ‘grandpa’ was helping his grandson work on it. I said something like, “Are you able to work on it?” His attitude and answer I’ve not been able to forget since that day. “I’m doing great, I GET to work on an old truck.” What a fantastic way of thinking. “I get to ______.” You fill in the blank. I GET to study the Word of God when others around the world don’t even have a copy of the Bible. I GET to try and encourage some Christians that have been suffering greatly. I GET to work around my shop at my home fixing some equipment for the fall season. I GET to have food to eat every day. I GET the wonderful privilege of fellowshipping with the Lord Jesus daily. I GET the wonderful experience of being a pastor, papa, husband, father, friend, and confidant. You can have great joy if you just think right. Read Philippians 4:8 often. Think on the right things. A biblical world-view doesn’t happen by accident. It is a process. It begins with deciding to think like the Bible.