Think about These Things

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS
~~ THE HEAVENLY MIND~~
INTRODUCTION PART ONE
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
~~ Psalm 139:17
God has a mind! Created in God’s likeness, we too have a mind. God has thoughts, and we do
too. How wonderful to think about what God thinks! How awesome the depths! How glorious the
heights! How perfect the perceptions! Come, let us think.
The mind is related to the soul. We think with the mind. We believe with the mind. We
remember with the mind. Though our souls may be the ultimate essence of our being, our eternal
identity, the mind, the seat of our thoughts and feelings and will, determines who we are. I would not
quite want just to say that “we are what we think,” for we are much more than what we think; but I do
want to claim that what we think certainly influences, to a great degree, who and what we are. The
mind affects and influences our inner nature, our spiritual being, our heart, in such a way that Jesus
could say that “ everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment .” (Matthew 5:22) And
He could say that “ev eryone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in
their heart. ” (Matthew 5:28)
The central message, here, is that there is such a thing as sinful thoughts, and they are just as
offensive to God as sinful actions. The mind affects the soul! Our state of mind affects the state of our
soul!
The mind is not just a storage bank of memories. It is where the rubber hits the road. It is
where those memories evoke feelings, and feelings evoke attitudes. It is where dreams become ideas
and ideas become visions. It is where yearnings become hopes and hopes become joys. It is where
desire becomes a hunger and that hunger creates passion and zeal. The mind is where the will discovers
purpose and where faith becomes inspired. It is in the mind that we make decisions!
With our minds, we understand, we compare, we judge, we pray. It is where we believe, and
from where we communicate. In the mind we meet our moods, our opinions, and our powers of reason.
Our minds are where we meet the likeness of God within us from creation, for God too has a mind.
Because of all this, our minds are quite important. Our thoughts can be of great consequence.
As much as negative thoughts can foster negative feelings, attitudes, and actions, so too can positive
thoughts be a catalyst for positive feelings, attitudes, and actions. The power of positive thinking is
nothing new. And the setting of faith provides much more than just positive thinking. It can evoke
heavenly thoughts. In this context I want to share a simple but sweeping embrace of a single passage of
Scripture from Paul’s Letter to the Christians of Philippi, Chapter Four, verse eight:
Whatever is true,
whatever is honorable,
whatever is just,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence,
if there is anything worthy of praise
….think about these things!
I want to share what to me would be “The Heavenly Mind!”
In the chapters that follow, consider with me “these things” one by one; examining them,
reviewing them, studying them, meditating on them. I call upon us all to apply our minds to what is
true, to what is honorable, to what is just, to what is pure, to what is lovely, to what is gracious. We are
challenged to reflect on things of excellence and things worthy of praise. Let us realize that we are
doing more than just entertaining ideas with our minds, we are contemplating things that can positively
affect our eternal souls!
How important to you are your thoughts about God, about Christ, about the Kingdom of
Heaven? What are the things you think about most? How do your thoughts affect you? How does what
you think affect your behavior? How does what you think about others affect your attitudes toward
them? I have already said that it may not be entirely true to say that we are what we think, but I do
believe it is true that our relationship with God, with ourselves, with others, and with the world are
based on our thoughts. As the Proverb says, As one thinks in their hearts, so are they! (Proverbs 23:7
KJV)