April 9, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

Genesis 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Even the thoughts of the wicked cannot overthrow the goodness of God.  Romans 12:21 states: Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.  There is no better illustration of this verse than the story of Joseph.  His brothers hated him and thought to kill him, yet settled on selling him as a slave. He ended up in Egypt and was later imprisoned on false charges.   Eventually, God raised him up to become the second in command in Egypt only being surpassed by Pharaoh himself.  At every opportunity it seemed that Joseph simply did right, he overcame evil with good.  Even at the last when faced with his evil brothers Joseph did good, forgiving them, taking the high road, and being the bigger man if you will.

Has it occurred to you that no matter the road of life you are on, God has guided you there for a purpose?  Yes, others may have done you wrong, or you may have done wrong, or through no one’s fault at all you may be in a place that is not your choosing.  It could be that the unseen hand of God has put you in that place, in part, to be a blessing to others.

Dr. Raymond Barber once said as he was preaching, “A person wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.” He went on to expand that thought and said, “If you ever find yourself depressed, despondent, disappointed or disillusioned, look around and find someone less fortunate than you.  Help that person and you will help yourself.”  How true!  I’ve tried it, and it works!  Sometimes we must get our eyes off ourselves in order to see clearly. 

Joseph did this and he came to see that although his brothers had an evil thought against him, God used them to put him in the place where he could serve an entire nation of people.  What a thought, what a mindset, what a story of evil being overcome with good.   Give God thanks today for your enemies; it may be that God is using them in your life to put you in a place of blessing.  Have you ever thought about that?

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

Dr. William T. Howe