July 18, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

Matthew 18:12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

The Lord is challenging those to whom He is speaking to think about how they think. He asks them How think ye? and then goes on to give them a word picture to help them think correctly. The point He is trying to prove is found in the verse previous to the one recorded above, For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 

I once heard that we think in visuals, meaning that we think in pictures. For example, if a person hears the name Barney Fife in their mind, they picture the character played by Don Knotts on the Andy Griffith Show. Here, the  Lord used a word picture to aid His listeners in understanding a part of His purpose and ministry on earth. Living in an age when many made their living as herdsmen, He told them a story about a Shepherd losing one of his sheep. They could relate to that; they could picture it.

Word pictures are powerful; they influence our thinking greatly. Jesus used them often to teach spiritual truths. How think ye? Oftentimes we think in pictures. Right or wrong, your visual history plays a part in what you think.

When I was a young boy, I saw a dog fight. It was awful, that bigger dog had that smaller dog by the neck and was slinging it everywhere. The sounds, the sight, the people standing around screaming, I can still see it today in my mind. To this day I have a very negative connotation of the term dog fight. In fact, I don’t think I have ever used that term to describe anything; the memory is that revolting to me. I also think that it is a huge reason why

I have such a disdain for bullies and big people picking on smaller people.

Suffice it to say, Jesus was an excellent communicator; He knew how to use word pictures, or illustrations, to teach unseen spiritual truths. I’m sure He also knew which words and phrases to stay away from as they would solicit unwelcome thoughts. Which is a lesson every teacher and preacher of the Bible should learn and practice.

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

Dr. William Howe