What Are You Thinking?
If anyone answers the above question and says “nothing”, do not believe it. According to a 2020 study, people have more than 6,000 thoughts a day. Here’s the math, based on their estimate: Say you get 8 hours of sleep each night. You are awake for 16 hours each day and have exactly 6.5 thoughts per minute. (6.5 x 60 x 16 = 6,240 thoughts). Of course, this is only one study. In 2005, the National Science Foundation published an article regarding research about human thoughts per day. The average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those, 95% are exactly the same repetitive thoughts as the day before and about 80% are negative. There are several other studies on this.
As can be clearly seen, there are a ‘lot of thoughts’, on how much one thinks in a day. Much of this seems to be based on opinion, and the results derived often depend on the parameters of the various studies and the subjects of those studies. For instance, a group of grade school students would have different thoughts than their older high school age brothers and sisters. At the same time, a group of mature adults will think about different things than either of these aforementioned groups.
Additionally, a person’s surroundings, prior teaching, present teaching, attitude, and a plethora of other things have influence on what thoughts they have. As a result, thoughts may change over time. There have been many smart people who have provided quotes about thinking. One of my favorites comes from Henry Ford. He said: “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” Thomas Edison, the great inventor of many things spent time thinking alone. His quote reflects this sentiment. He said: “The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil.” As can be seen, thinking is often occurring. Therefore it is important that we think properly.
God also addressed this in His Word. In Proverbs, the Spirit directed the wise man Solomon to warn against participating in things with those who are thinking evil and deceitful thoughts. Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.(Prov. 23:6-7). The Spirit also gave Words for king David, the father of Solomon to pen on this subject. In Psa. 10:3-4 we read, For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
Perhaps this is why, in Isa. 55:7-9, God had this faithful prophet write and admonish Israel. He penned: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” God wants man’s thought to be proper. They can only be so if one thinks on, and does the things in God’s rightly divided Word.
In Rom. 12:3, in the context of spiritual gifts, the Spirit had Paul write to these brethren that they keep their thoughts in line. None of them were to “think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, . . . ”. Again, all are to think in full accordance with God’s Word. Rom. 10:17 tells us that faith comes from the Word of God. Then, as we see in Jas. 1:5-6, the brother that lacks wisdom is to ask God in faith and do so without wavering. The ones who waver are as unsteady as the waves of the sea. In verse 7, one that asks without faith, is not to “think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”
If our thoughts remain in accordance with God’s Word, we will realize just how much we don’t know just as the brethren in Corinth were told in 1Cor. 8:2, and will study to know more. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. The more we study, the better we can think. This is very similar to what the Spirit had the apostle Paul write the brethren in Gal. 6:3. He told them one of the many ways a person can be misled from within his own mind. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. God doesn’t want anyone to be deceived. He wants all to know what to do to be saved and how to keep their thinking strait.
Rather than us being deceived, Phil. 4:8 provides us with a number of things with which to occupy our minds. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. What are you thinking? Why not think wholesome thoughts based on, and in full accordance with God’s Word? If you do so, you can’t go wrong.
Dennis Strickland – Mooresville church of Christ
