Gifts of Grace

What's on your mind? If we all revealed our habitual thoughts to one another, it might make for a very interesting time. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny." Our destiny is tied directly to and starts with our thoughts. The Scriptures remind us how important our thoughts are. In Philippians 4:8, the apostle Paul writes, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Our thought life is largely revealed in our actions and words. "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." (Proverbs 23:7). It is crucial for each of us to bring our thought life into submission to Jesus Christ by learning to think biblically about life. If you don't, old thoughts, attitudes and actions will rush in to fill the gap. The apostle Paul has been telling us not to be conformed to the pattern of this world but rather "to be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Now he spells out what this means, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment." How should we who are having our minds renewed and our lives transformed think about ourselves? About fellow believers? About the church? About our spiritual gifts? Paul answers these questions in our passage!