June 3, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

June 3

Luke 9:47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, 

Perception is a tricky thing. Jesus perceived the thought of the hearts of the disciples as they reasoned among themselves about which one of them should be the greatest. The thoughts of a person’s heart will usually find a way out. Through what they say, how they act, and even their disposition a person communicates what they think in their heart. A pastor can usually read people as he is preaching. Through facial expression, body posture, and overall interaction a pastor perceives who is listening and who is tuning him out. But sometimes that perception is wrong.

Being a person who has been shopping a time or two I know a thing about shopping. Actually, like many men I don’t shop, I buy. So, it was with gladness that I prepared to go shoe shopping with my daughter. There was a big occasion coming up in the life of our family and she needed new shoes. So, early one day we were off. My perception was that we would go to one of the big stores that had many different shoes to offer, see what they had, buy a pair, and I’d be home in about an hour. Wrong! We visited every shoe store in the mall, in the shopping area behind the mall, across town at another mall, several specialty stores, had something to eat, and then retraced our steps. Finally, at the end of the long, long day she bought a pair of shoes at the first store we visited. My perception, which was built on years of personal experience, was wrong.

Of course, Jesus was never wrong in his perception, but we are. Be careful about letting perception unduly influence your thinking. Your perception may be wrong. You’ve heard the old saying, “Never judge a book by its cover.” Why? Because perception can be wrong. Many people today are excellent actors; they can appear to be one thing while in reality they are something else altogether. Sometimes those that a pastor may think are not paying attention can recall every word of the sermon and be very invested in it. Yes, perception is a tricky thing.

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

Dr. William T. Howe