Be Careful How You Think

"Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts" (Pro_4:23 GNB)

Solomon's proverbial insight are as relevant today as ever before. "Be careful how you think," he tells us, "your life is shaped by your thoughts." In the New Testament we are told by the apostle Paul that our lives are transformed by the "renewing of our
minds" (Rom_12:2). In other words, beliefs determine behaviour.

If you believe the right thing — you will do the right thing. And the exact opposite is also true. If we believe a lie, we will live the lie — and our lives will fall short of the glory of God. So, be careful how you think. And, to this end, be even more careful who you choose to
befriend; for we ultimately become like those with whom we most closely associate.

If you spend your time in the companyy of complainers and murmurers, critics and fault-finders, nay-sayers and dream-killers — then your life will diminish, your
light grow dim, and your presence become dull around others. Spend your time in the company of faithful men and women, who walk in the Spirit and know the Word of God; who understand the Times, and who spend their lives to help others succeed — and your path will grow brighter and brighter.

We are living in historic times – times that require deep conviction and decisive courage. We must not be so absorbed with self interest that we become easily offended with what we don't understand and, thus, make rash and stupid choices. Our thoughts must
become formed by truth; our opinions must become enlarged by intelligence; our words strengthened by wisdom and grace; our behaviour monitored by self-
restraint; and our interaction with others marked by respect and civility.

What hangs in the balance in these days of global turmoil and uncertainty could be the very welfare of our world. "Be careful how you think; your life is
shaped by your thoughts." Think truly. Decide courageously. Act nobly. Stand
firmly. Live generously. And die honorably.

Your life matters now more than ever, and how you think shapes your very life. And what you choose to do with your life has lasting consequences. "Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide,the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side; great cause, some great decision, offering each the bloom or blight,the choice goes by forever, 'twixt that darkness and that light.

Then to side with truth is noble, when we share her wretched crust,her cause bring fame and fortune, and 'tis prosperous to be just;it is the brave man chooses
while the coward stands aside,the multitude make virtue of the faith they had denied. Though the cause of evil prosper, yet the truth alone is strong;her portion be the scaffold, and upon the throne be wrong; that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown,God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own."

By James R. Lowell, 1845