A Penny For Your Thoughts?

There is a saying “a penny for your thoughts”.  Is that all our thoughts are worth?  Just a penny?  Well, let me tell you that my thoughts are pretty expensive.  They are downright priceless!  Why, you ask?  Well, it’s not because they are good thoughts.  It’s because I have had some sinful thoughts.  Yes, sinful thoughts are expensive.  Jesus laid down His life for our sins and that includes our sinful thoughts.   His selfless act was priceless.  That’s what makes my (and your) thoughts priceless. 

Matthew 9:4 starts out “But Jesus, knowing their thought . . .”   I don’t know about you but I have thoughts that I don’t want Him to see.  Unfortunately, He has seen them all.  Do we really understand that He knows everything?  Including our thoughts.  I just hope that there isn’t a recording of all my thoughts.  The rating on it would be so high, no one would be allowed to see it.  But God has seen it.  Every single thoughtless thought.

Our thoughts can get us into trouble.  Take Abraham.  He thought he would be killed, so he lied about Sarah. That’s in Genesis 20:11.  How about Judah who thought Tamar was a harlot? You can find that in Genesis 38:15.  And in Judges 15:2 – the father thought Samson hated the older daughter and so the father gave her to someone else instead.  

I don’t read where anyone actually confirmed that what they were thinking was true.  Do we do things based on what we were thinking?  Shouldn’t we check it out first?  

Here are some verses that have to do with thoughts:

God knows our thoughts.  In 1 Chronicles 28:9  “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts.  If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”  Not only does God know our thoughts, he understands the intent of our thoughts.

In the next chapter David is asking God to help the people keep their thoughts on Him.  It is in 1 Chronicles 29:18  “O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You.”  Do we ask God for help to keep our thoughts on Him?  I think it’s a good idea.  The Bible tells us who doesn’t think about God – it is in Psalm 10:4 “The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.”  Since the wicked don’t think about God they probably don’t realize that He thinks about them and knows their thoughts.   It says so in Psalm 94:11 “The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.”  Not only does God know our thoughts but He thinks about us.  Psalm 40:17 tells us “But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. “  What a comfort to know that God thinks about ME. He thinks about you too.

But what are we thinking?  How many times have we said to someone “what were you thinking?”  If that person actually thought about what they were going to do or say, they probably would not have done it. Where does it come from?  Matthew 15:18 tells us:  “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart and they defile a man.” And it continues in Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”

So, is it our thoughts that get us into trouble?  Or is it what is in our hearts?  If we think or act in a certain way (without thinking), then it might be a problem with our heart.  If we look into our heart, what will we find there?  If Jesus were to look in right now, would we be embarrassed?  Would we want some time to clean up first? 

Changing our thoughts start with our heart. Oh, we can change our thoughts and practice saying and doing the right things.  But what happens when the unexpected happens?   All of a sudden, all those evil thoughts flow out of our heart and fill our mind.

For me, when something blurts out of my mouth without me even realizing it – I can be sure it came from my heart.  It wasn’t like I spent days thinking about it and then said it.  Something happened and I reacted by blurting out a bunch of words that were tucked in my heart.  Sometimes I even surprise myself! 

So, what should our thought life be like?  It tells us in Philippians 4:8 exactly what we should be meditating on.  This is what it says:  “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”

Think of it this way.  Instead of being a sponge and soaking up things that are not Christ-like, oil yourself with the Word.  Then, those things won’t get absorbed, they will slide right off.  But we need a daily dose of the “oil” or else we will just dry up and start absorbing everything that comes at us.

There is an old saying – we are what we eat. Well, the same thing goes for our thoughts.  We are what we think.  Our thoughts are a result of what we see and hear. Our sinful nature will take what we see and hear and run with it.  By filling our minds with Godly, Christ-like things, it will fill up the space and squeeze out the ungodly stuff. Maybe not completely, we still have an enemy that likes to tempt us.  But we can at least have the majority of our thoughts in the right direction.  So, instead of putting thoughts through our own filter which we have designed, let’s use God’s filter.  His Word.  When God’s Word goes into our hearts, it fills our minds and it will be what comes out of our mouths.  Your thoughts are priceless – don’t waste them on junk.