Our Thought Life

1 Corinthians 2:11-16
For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?"But we have the mind of Christ.

God calls His children to live holy lives (1 Pet. 1:15-16). This requires both the Holy Spirit's help and our cooperation. We should begin with our thought life because our actions are based upon what we believe.

The first step is to acknowledge that our thoughts need changing. Selfishness, jealousy, and other unrighteous behavior come from ungodly thinking. Examining ourselves (2 Cor. 13:5) will reveal impure thoughts. Our Father wants these replaced with thinking bent toward forgiveness and kindness (Eph. 4:30-32). This will happen as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in renewing our minds (Rom. 12:2).

Next, we make a commitment to the Lord that we will pursue godliness. This promise is much more than a New Year's resolution. It encompasses our entire being and is expressed as a desire to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). It means dedicating ourselves to become like our Savior.

Daily time in the Word will keep our resolve strong. Through Scripture, the Holy Spirit will transform our mind and strengthen our inner being to bring about any needed changes. If we neglect Bible study, we leave ourselves open to the influence of the world and our "flesh," neither of which cares about godliness.

Becoming holy is a lifelong process that requires understanding of God's ways, plans, and priorities--and adopting them as our own. It means letting the Spirit develop within us the mind of Christ. If we try to change our behavior without adjusting our thinking, we'll find ourselves doing precisely what we want to avoid (Rom. 7:15).