Right Thinking – Part 3

The principle of right thinking is found throughout Scripture, and God uses these examples as a way for us to gauge how our thinking aligns (or doesn’t align) with the truth He has provided in His Word. As the Bible states;

1 Cor 10:11
Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

The examples the Apostle Paul is referring to has to do with those who thought contrary to the way God has set out for us in the Word. By looking at the results of right thinking, and the consequences of wrong thinking, we can know the end from the beginning. So then, let’s take a minute and do some comparisons to see the different results of right and wrong thinking.

Cain and Abel were the first sons of Adam and Eve. Both were given the same information as to how they were to approach God with their sacrifices. Abel offered his sacrifice according to what God had said, but Cain did not. He added to or altered what God had said was acceptable in His sight, with disastrous consequences! What should have been a way to draw closer to God became a snare to Cain, and ultimately worked evil in his actions toward his brother. Abel was accepted by God for his right thinking, being referred to as a righteous man; Cain was relegated to the ranks of the most vile of people, a murderer. Abel operated in right thinking, Cain operated in wrong thinking.

The first king of Israel was Saul. He started out as a humble and obedient servant of the Lord, and God promoted him to the position of the leader of His people. Despite this  blessing and endorsement, he became corrupted by his own thoughts, and began twisting the Word of God to meet his own needs. The Prophet Samuel loved Saul, but was given the commandment by God to depose him for his wrong thinking. Samuel was obedient to God and fulfilled the Word of God, even though it caused him grief to do so! Samuel operated in right thinking, Saul operated in wrong thinking.

King Josiah was young when he ascended to the throne of Judah, amid the pagan practices which the previous kings had set in place. When the Word of God was found and proclaimed to him he had a choice, to continue with “business as usual” or to believe the Word of God. He responded as he should, by adopting his thinking to be in line with God and His Word. In fact, because of his radical change the Bible accords him a special place in history. His predecessors operated in wrong thinking, but he opted for right thinking!

Some people will say, “Wait a minute! That’s Old Testament stuff! Prophets and idols and plagues. We don’t operate that way anymore.” OK, let’s look at a couple New Testament examples.

Jesus is the fulfillment and embodiment of the Word itself. He is the Word incarnate! Yet, even with His miracles, fulfillment of prophecies and His proclamations there were those who refused to believe Him. When presented with the truth of God’s Word they chose to disbelieve. Jesus operated (and continues to operate!) by right thinking. The world and all those in it operate by wrong thinking.

When presented with the gospel the people of Berea had a choice. They could believe the witness of Christ or not. Many of them refused to believe. They were comfortable, operating in wrong thinking. To their credit, however, some of them did not simply take the word of those they heard, but they based their thinking on what God’s Word said! These believers have been commended by the Word itself, being referred to as noble (KJV) and fair-minded (NKJV). The unbelievers opted for wrong thinking, the believers opted for right thinking based upon God’s Word.

God’s Word is provided to each and every one of us as a vehicle to convey God’s thoughts and intentions. It is a source of life and light. It is a source of healing and salvation. His Word is made available for everyone who will listen and adopt right thinking, but we have a part to play. Each of us are personally responsible to Him for how we conduct ourselves, and how we conduct ourselves is going to be determined by how we think. Wrong thinking will bring grief, but right thinking, Godly thinking, will bring life and peace!