Your thoughts, your actions

Wednesday 17 May 2023

Your thoughts, your actions

“We take every thought prisoner to make it obey Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10. 5 New Version Fluent English

René Descartes, the well-known 17th century philosopher wrote in Discourse on Method : “I think ; So I am". He was right in the sense that our life is determined by our thoughts. But Paul went further by suggesting that we take every thought into captivity to obey Christ, that is, to act. Our thoughts, positive or negative, almost always lead us to act on them. Good thoughts will produce good fruit, bad thoughts will produce bad fruit. Take the example of David. He saw a beautiful woman taking a bath. He could then have looked away and thought of something else, such as the military campaign that Joab was leading abroad. But he focused his thoughts on this woman. You can imagine the thoughts that crossed his mind. Again he could have controlled his thoughts and chased away the bad suggestions that came to his mind. He preferred to act on those dangerous thoughts and we all know the result. So Paul said : “Finally, brothers and sisters, turn your attention to all that is honorable and worthy of praise : to all that is true and deserves to be respected, all that is just and pure, whatever can be appreciated and valued” (Philippians 4.8). How to think right ?

1- “pay your attention...” in other words, analyze, meditate, reflect... The Greek word for meditation implies the idea of concentration. We are called to use our God-given intelligence to decide with reason what actions we will take. Listen : “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Loving God is not limited to feeling a great rush of heart towards Him. Loving Him also requires understanding why we love Him and what we are willing to do for Him.

2- Choose the right topics for reflection, Paul left us a list of valid suggestions even today. Focus the best times of your day meditating on these things.

3- Act according to your thoughts. Paul adds : “What you have learned, received, heard and seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9). Thoughts should result in actions (James 1:22-25). Now that you know, act on it !

Source (His Word for Today)