I've worked with a man who told me that if you think it you might as well say it.
I disagree.
Thinking is done for many reasons. It leads to acting, but sometimes it doesn't.
I would call that "contemplation" which is a very important skill these days. It is in the area of contemplation where I believe the Bible has much to say.
We think about yesterday (memory, how we lived, consequences of decisions made);
We think about today (awareness, living life, making decisions);
We can think about tomorrow (dream, believe, hope, plan, what decisions will we make?).
It is very important what we think on because it affects our lives, how to live them well and remain healthy.
After all, the greatest commandment speaks about what we love God with = ALL our minds.
Much of our thinking comes from trial and error and having a standard for comparing.
What are some other benefits of thinking well?
What are the consequences of not thinking well?
Other verses to meditate on: Phil 4:8, Rom 12:2, Heb 5:11-14, 2 Cor 10:5, John 16:13
More importantly, if we have a habit of thinking wrong (deception, poor judgments, easily influenced toward compulsivity, etc.), what then corrects our thinking?
Philippians 4:8 gives us boundaries in thinking as well as the freedom to choose by using the word “whatever.” Here are eight boundary words and their meaning for us to be thinking, reflecting, considering, contemplating, and meditating on so we can produce thoughts that love God in our actions.
We are to think on whatever is:
True [in which there is nothing false in thought, attitude, and action]
Honorable [that which causes people to take notice, look up, and admire; dignified, respectable]
Just [proper duty to others and right in the eyes of God]
Pure [cleansed and fit to offer to God, so undefiled, blameless. untainted]
Lovely [that which calls forth love, so love-inspiring; attractive, pleasing, pleasant, winsome]
Commendable [good sounding, pleasant to be heard, reputable, decent, unoffending]
Excellence [virtuous, the highest forms of goodness, thoughts that produce good moral conduct]
Praiseworthy [actions that have reaped praise from both God and men]
Verse 4:9 adds, What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace (shalom) will be with you.
Romans 12:2 also speaks about our thinking, and teaches s that we must turn from conforming to (no thinking, just going along with) this world’s influence, but transformed by the renewing of the mind--the way we think the patterns and habits of thought, and what standards we are going to compare our actions to.
What makes this a hard process? The author of Hebrews 5:11-14 teaches his listeners that things can be hard to explain to those who have
a. become dull of hearing,
b. need someone to teach them basic principles of the oracles of God again,
c. are unskilled in the word of righteousness (= a child).
He calls this “explaining” solid food and it is for the mature (vs. the child) who have had “their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”
This is what thinking is about = the constant practice of training of our mental powers of discernment to distinguish good from evil. I do this when I go shopping for fruits and veggies, when I shop for a movie, or listen to the news.
John 16:13 tells us: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
When we are aware of things that are to come, the consequences of our behavior, dangers as well as blessings, we can plan accordingly.
This is called HOPE and the Holy Spirit gives us HOPE.
FAITH is what connects our hearts (and minds) to that HOPE!
HOPE is built on the promises of God, aka., the TRUTH!
The BIBLE tells us story after story about the consequences and blessings of those who did and did not listen--of those who followed God (we can think about yesterday and remember).
We can read THE WORD OF GOD and meditate on it now, in the present, for it is the truth we need for transformation. “Sanctify them by your truth,” Jesus prayed for us, and then stated, “Your Word, Father-God, is Truth!"
THE HOLY SPIRIT speaks to us of tomorrow and bridges the gap by connecting yesterday to today by guiding you to LOVE God and inspiring your FAITH in GOD as you HOPE, plan, dream, desire, meditate and think about.
The actions of those who inspire us by their faith, are the “such things” Paul teaches us to think about: whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, anything excellent, anything worthy of praise, THINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS!
And know you are loving God with your mind as you do so!
----------------------------------
Interesting viewpoint: https://blog.bufferapp.com/10-surprising-facts-about-how-our-brain-works
I disagree.
Thinking is done for many reasons. It leads to acting, but sometimes it doesn't.
I would call that "contemplation" which is a very important skill these days. It is in the area of contemplation where I believe the Bible has much to say.
We think about yesterday (memory, how we lived, consequences of decisions made);
We think about today (awareness, living life, making decisions);
We can think about tomorrow (dream, believe, hope, plan, what decisions will we make?).
It is very important what we think on because it affects our lives, how to live them well and remain healthy.
After all, the greatest commandment speaks about what we love God with = ALL our minds.
Much of our thinking comes from trial and error and having a standard for comparing.
What are some other benefits of thinking well?
What are the consequences of not thinking well?
Other verses to meditate on: Phil 4:8, Rom 12:2, Heb 5:11-14, 2 Cor 10:5, John 16:13
More importantly, if we have a habit of thinking wrong (deception, poor judgments, easily influenced toward compulsivity, etc.), what then corrects our thinking?
Philippians 4:8 gives us boundaries in thinking as well as the freedom to choose by using the word “whatever.” Here are eight boundary words and their meaning for us to be thinking, reflecting, considering, contemplating, and meditating on so we can produce thoughts that love God in our actions.
We are to think on whatever is:
True [in which there is nothing false in thought, attitude, and action]
Honorable [that which causes people to take notice, look up, and admire; dignified, respectable]
Just [proper duty to others and right in the eyes of God]
Pure [cleansed and fit to offer to God, so undefiled, blameless. untainted]
Lovely [that which calls forth love, so love-inspiring; attractive, pleasing, pleasant, winsome]
Commendable [good sounding, pleasant to be heard, reputable, decent, unoffending]
Excellence [virtuous, the highest forms of goodness, thoughts that produce good moral conduct]
Praiseworthy [actions that have reaped praise from both God and men]
Verse 4:9 adds, What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace (shalom) will be with you.
Romans 12:2 also speaks about our thinking, and teaches s that we must turn from conforming to (no thinking, just going along with) this world’s influence, but transformed by the renewing of the mind--the way we think the patterns and habits of thought, and what standards we are going to compare our actions to.
What makes this a hard process? The author of Hebrews 5:11-14 teaches his listeners that things can be hard to explain to those who have
a. become dull of hearing,
b. need someone to teach them basic principles of the oracles of God again,
c. are unskilled in the word of righteousness (= a child).
He calls this “explaining” solid food and it is for the mature (vs. the child) who have had “their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”
This is what thinking is about = the constant practice of training of our mental powers of discernment to distinguish good from evil. I do this when I go shopping for fruits and veggies, when I shop for a movie, or listen to the news.
John 16:13 tells us: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
When we are aware of things that are to come, the consequences of our behavior, dangers as well as blessings, we can plan accordingly.
This is called HOPE and the Holy Spirit gives us HOPE.
FAITH is what connects our hearts (and minds) to that HOPE!
HOPE is built on the promises of God, aka., the TRUTH!
The BIBLE tells us story after story about the consequences and blessings of those who did and did not listen--of those who followed God (we can think about yesterday and remember).
We can read THE WORD OF GOD and meditate on it now, in the present, for it is the truth we need for transformation. “Sanctify them by your truth,” Jesus prayed for us, and then stated, “Your Word, Father-God, is Truth!"
THE HOLY SPIRIT speaks to us of tomorrow and bridges the gap by connecting yesterday to today by guiding you to LOVE God and inspiring your FAITH in GOD as you HOPE, plan, dream, desire, meditate and think about.
The actions of those who inspire us by their faith, are the “such things” Paul teaches us to think about: whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, anything excellent, anything worthy of praise, THINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS!
And know you are loving God with your mind as you do so!
----------------------------------
Interesting viewpoint: https://blog.bufferapp.com/10-surprising-facts-about-how-our-brain-works