Be A Thinking Christian
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. Philippians 4:8 (KJV)
God has given us a mind to think. God wants us to use our minds to think rather than being a mindless Christian. Mindless, unthinking Christians can be easily led into error. The more we use our minds, the more they are developed. We are to become smarter with age, and the more we use our minds, the better they will be. This is called the Law of Use.
The best way to develop the mind is by studying and thinking on God’s written Word. As we know the Word, think on it, our minds are kept on the Lord. This helps us trust Him and remain at peace.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)
We are to be thinking Christians. We are not to blindly accept everything we are told, but we are to investigate, search the Word, and determine the truth for ourselves. As our minds are renewed by the word of God, this will help us to think things through. We will think before we act, based on knowledge of God’s Word. As we renew our minds to the Word, we are better able to reason, remember, use logic to put things together, and solve problems. The more we use our minds, the sharper our minds become. As we learn to use our minds, we actually learn to learn!
God’s Word will help us think on the right things. We’ll more readily think on things that are true, honest, right, pure, lovely, of a good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. As we think on the right things, it will train us to think right.
As we think on the Word, we develop a spiritual mind; the mind of Christ. The Bible says God has given us a sound mind, a sober, stable mind. We have a sensible, sane mind. We develop our minds by reading and studying the Word, plus other practical means can also be added to sharpen our mental abilities like memorizing Scripture, doing math problems, listening to and learning to read music, doing puzzles, and so on. The more we challenge our minds and the more regularly we use our minds, the better they become. The Bible even says we can love God with all our minds. We can do this by thinking on God, and using our minds to find ways to glorify Him.
As our minds are renewed, we change our mindsets and way of thinking. As we change our thinking, we change how we feel, our habits, our desires, our behavior, even our very character. Get into God’s Word daily to change how you think because your thinking determines who you become, what you’ll do, and where you’ll go. Shape your thoughts according to God’s Word, and then your thoughts will properly shape you
