May 29, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Here is the list of things we are not to give thought to as found in Matthew chapter 6: life, eating, drinking, body, raiment, and tomorrow. If you think about it, these are the six things that probably occupy a great deal of our thought life. The Lord is trying to help us prioritize our thoughts and learn to trust Him. 

There was once a potato farmer who was sitting on his porch in a rocking chair during the time of harvest.  His neighbor, who was also a potato farmer, became concerned about this first man’s crop and came over to ask him if he needed some type of help getting his potato crop in.  The first man said no he was simply trusting God.  The second man was a little confused, so the first man told him the following.  “Do you remember that old shed I had down by the pond that I needed to tear down?  It was an eye sore, and it was dangerous. I meant to tear it down, but God sent a spring storm and lightning hit the cabin and burned it down.  Then I knew that I needed to carry off all the ashes and charred remains of the burnt wood that was left on the cement pad, but before I could get to it God sent a windstorm that blew the refuse to the wind.  Now I am just sitting here in my rocker waiting for the Lord to send an earthquake to harvest my potatoes for me.” I doubt this is what Christ meant when He said to take no thought for these things of life. 

He certainly didn’t mean that we should stop doing the things needed to take care of our servile necessities of life.  One reason we can know this is found in II Thessalonians 3:10, “…For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”  He is teaching us, among other things, to trust Him for our life, food, drink, body, raiment and the tomorrows of our lives.  Yes, we may have to dig up the potato harvest, but He will make the potatoes grow.

Let me give you a little extra.  Notice in this chapter, Matthew 6, the Lord lists six things: life, food, drink, body, raiment and tomorrow. In the Bible six is the number of man’s work on the earth and God’s work concerning man. Man was created on the sixth day; six days man is to labor, etc. These six things are the main concerns of maintaining physical life, they occupy most of our time, effort and thoughts (especially true during the time of the Lord’s earthly ministry as they did not enjoy the conveniences of life we now have). In these however, we are to trust Him absolutely and not fret or worry over them. We are to seek Him first, especially in our thoughts, and He will bring all these to pass. It is good to learn to keep one’s thoughts on Him, not on the worries, issues, and cares of this life.

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

Dr. William T. Howe