As you are scrolling today, so many ideas and distractions are vying for your mind and your thoughts. So much of the Sunday church experience is focused on feelings, and emotions are a part of worship. And though we are prone to make our faith largely about how we feel, it is actually our thoughts that Scripture prioritizes.
Scripture consistently points our attention to the importance of our thoughts over our feelings. In fact, God has designed us so that our feelings can be overcome, corrected, and grounded in our thinking.
Thinking on who God is, what God has done, and what God has promised to do is foundational to our faith and our worship.
Psalm 48:9-11 says:
“We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. Let Mount Zion be glad Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments!”
It’s through thinking that we move away from God and toward sin- Romans 1:21, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
Wrong thoughts can be disastrous! See 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”
We arm ourselves for faithfulness with our way of thinking. 1 Peter 4:1-2, “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.”
Spiritual maturity is evidenced in our thinking. Philippians 3:15, “Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.”
And the way Paul is referring to us is that we would forget what is behind and look and think forward to what lies ahead. Living day by day, trusting and following Christ.
And, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” – Philippians 4:8