October 15, 1995
Philippians Lesson 25
The Christian’s Thought Life
Philippians 4:8
Mark Twain wrote, “What a wee little part of a person’s life
are his acts and his words! His real life is led in his head, and is
known to none but himself. All day long, the mill of his brain is
grinding, and his thoughts, not those other things, are his history.”
(Reader’s Digest [1/93], p. 155).
I would modify Twain by saying that our thought life forms
the basis for and is largely revealed in our actions and words. But
Twain’s comments correctly affirm that our thought life composes
a major part of who we really are. Jonathan Edwards put it this
way: “The ideas and images in men’s minds are the invisible powers
that constantly govern them” (source unknown). Thus it is crucial
for each of us to bring our thought life into submission to Jesus
Christ by learning to think biblically about every aspect of life.
One of the most helpful things I have learned about the
Christian life is that all sin begins in our thoughts, which the Bible
often calls “the heart.” Jesus said, “That which proceeds out of the
man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart
of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders,
adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things
proceed from within and defile the man” (Mark 7:20-23). No one
commits these outward sins without first having committed them
in his mind. If we want to grow in godliness, we must win the battle over sin on the thought level.
In Philippians 4:8 Paul exhorts us to develop a Christian
thought life. His words should not be divorced from the context.
Practicing verse 8 is essential if we want to develop and maintain
healthy relationships (4:2-3, 5). A Christian thought life is also integral to a life of joy (4:4) and peace (4:6-7) in every situation. Since
our thoughts form the basis for our behavior, a godly thought life
is also essential for the obedience to which Paul exhorts us in verse
9. Clearly, Paul’s thought life was at the heart of the contentment
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