Serving Your Thoughts

Actions are the children of words. Words are the children of thoughts. Our thought life was important in the teachings of Yeshua (Jesus). In Matthew 6:24-25, Yeshua said: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? (KJV) Yeshua was teaching that you can't serve both God and wealth. How did Yeshua think people would serve either one? The answer is in verse 25: "Take no thought." The Greek word for thought is merimnaō and it means to care, be anxious, troubled, or to take thought. Thoughts are those impressions formed in the mind. Thoughts guide us. They can be positive and based on God's Word, or they can be negative and grounded in the ideology of the world's system of thinking.

Yeshua teaches that our thoughts are not to be based on anything except seeking God's kingdom first. He says: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day. (RSV) We are not to allow our thought life to lead us away from faith in God. Thoughts are very powerful. They can be controlling and decisive in determining how we approach our spouses, our children, our business and friends.

The truth is that we serve our thoughts. Yeshua knew that (He could even read thoughts while He walked the earth) and He wanted our thought life to be pure. The Apostle Saul (Paul) stated: Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (RSV) Yeshua understood that we would serve our thoughts. Saul knew we served our thoughts. The real questions are: (1) Do you understand that you serve your thoughts? and (2) What are you thinking about?