June 27, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

June 27

2 Samuel 13:33 Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead: for Amnon only is dead.

At a time of great anguish in King David’s life, Jonadab, his nephew, comforted him. The King heard that one of his sons, Absalom, had killed all of the king’s other sons (vs. 30). Jonadab told him the truth, only one son was killed. Certainly the death of Amnon at the hands of Absalom was difficult for David, but the death of all his sons would have been a much greater burden to carry. Jonadab’s words give us an insight into the relationship between what we think and our heart.

David’s nephew told him, Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart…  Within each of us there is a connection between what we think and what our heart feels.  Not only does what we think affect our hearts, but what our hearts desire affects our thinking.  Jonadab knew this, he was concerned for the King that his heart would become overly affected therefore he gave him truth. Truth is always the balm that soothes the heart. Jesus said in John 8:32: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

The freedom of which Christ speaks is multifaceted. The truth of the Gospel sets us free from the wages of sin. The truth of the Word of God sets us free from error. The truth about any matter sets the mind free from worry and undue anguish. Yes, David had to deal with the loss of one son, but the truth that Jonadab gave him made him free from the heartache of losing all his sons.

Job was not so fortunate, for he did lose all his sons and all his daughters. His ten children died in one day. This was the truth which Job had to face. Regardless of the scope and difficulty of truth, truth always sets your mind and heart and soul at ease. A personal example of this was the fear of unknowing about my wife’s medical condition with all the tests that led up to her diagnosis of cancer. While undergoing the cancer tests, our hearts and minds were as if they were on a roller coaster. But once the diagnosis was given, God gave us perfect peace. The fear of the unknown was much worse than dealing with the reality of her diagnosis. When your thinking and your heart are overwhelmed with fear and anguish, search out the truth, it will set your emotions free. Somewhere there will be a Jonadab to help you.

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

Dr. William Howe