April 14, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

Deuteronomy 19:19 Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.

What if you received the same thing that you thought toward another? If this were true probably each and every time I drive on the interstate system around DFW I would end up maimed. It is so bad that my wife told me to take the bumper sticker promoting our church off my truck. She didn’t think that I always portrayed the image that our church needed. She’s right. Something happens when I start my truck, my IQ drops by at least half. It seems I have to repent every time I arrive somewhere of the awful thoughts I have toward those with whom I share the road.

One of the most sobering teachings of the Bible is that in the Old Testament people were held accountable for what they did; however, in the New Testament we are accountable not only for what we do, but also for what we think. Jesus made this clear during His sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7).

Keeping proper thoughts toward others is a full-time job. For many years I have made it a practice to pray in the car before a long trip asking the Lord for safety, no breakdowns, and the like. Perhaps I need to make this a daily practice, or a ritual prior to ever starting my vehicle, but add to my prayer that God would help me to love my fellow drivers, to help me to prefer them before myself, to even ask that He would help me to be a humble servant to all other drivers allowing them to infringe on my space with gratitude and thanksgiving.

If the law of sowing and reaping applies to driving habits, I’m in real trouble. Confession is good for the soul, but this is getting way too convicting so let’s close this devotion with this thought. “Lord when my thoughts toward my brethren become displeasing to thee, please don’t let it boomerang and come back onto me!” I don’t know if this is Biblical, but it is sincere. By the way, your area of difficulty may not be while you’re diving, it may be when you’re shopping, or at church, at work, at school, etc., etc. So don’t be too quick to judge, it may just be that we are in the same boat, just on a different lake! 

May the Lord bless and be pleased with your thought life today.

Dr. William T. Howe