Do you THINK well?

Acts 14.1-20 As I read today's passage over and over, I was struck by how fickle these people were. . . how they were influenced first one way and then that. A couple weeks ago, we discussed the strategy of Satan to tear down, to rip off, to destroy wherever possible. One of his best ploys is to play with our minds; when he gains access to a weak mind, he can wreak all kinds of havoc in our thinking--causing doubt, guilt, fear, anxiety, etc. So, I see how the devil no doubt was involved in the reactions of first Paul's teaching, and then to those who believed, and to the miraculous done in their midst. Look with me. . . Scripture in black, my thoughts in blue.

At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas, went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against their brothers. Do you see this? It was enough that they refused to believe the truth of Jesus being preached, but they had to turn people against those who chose to believe. Unbelief can be morally vicious. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders. The people of the city were divided, some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. Can you believe that? First the devil separates them out--causes dissension in the people, forcing them to take sides. Having done that, those who were afraid of the impact the Gospel was having in their town, plotted to stone Paul and Barnabas. (So they flee to Lystra and Derbe, and keep preaching. In Lystra, Paul healed a crippled man, and the crowd thinks their Greek gods must have come down in human form--so they prepare to worship Paul and Barnabas, even bringing oxen to sacrifice to them.) Can you imagine the conversations Paul and Barnabas must have been having--'the people back there want to stone us, the people here want to worship us. . . and everywhere we go, there seems to be a ruckus! Yet, at every turn, when we preach Jesus, more people believe... we must keep going. . . we must keep preaching the Gospel.' (So Paul tries to convince them that they are mortals, just bringing the people the good news--but the crowd was so worked up, it couldn't hear truth. . .) vs. 19 - Then some Jews cam from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

Good Day!

Are you a good thinker, or better put, do you think well? This passage highlights how weak thinking can leave us vulnerable. Clearly, the people were easily influenced in the above passage. But how about you? Are you easily influenced? Hmmm. . . requires a little thought, doesn't it? I admit that I am influenced by the culture's view of what is physically beautiful--fit, thin, no facial flaws or imperfections, no visible signs of aging. . . I'm sure my body type surely must have been meant for another era! Oh, yes, my thinking has been impacted. But then, how is it anyway that I should be so vain as to give priority in my mind to these outward things? That is the point, isn't it? What do I give priority to in my mind? Do I manage my thoughts, or do they manage me?

I believe that we must be aware of our thoughts, and our thinking patterns, if we are to experience personal victory in our lives. An interview with self may be in order: What sort of thoughts are yours?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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What thoughts do you have that are pleasing to God?___________________________________________________________________
Which thoughts are not?_______________________________________________________________________________________
Paul said, "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that. . . (fill in the rest from Romans 12.2)____
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What does "renewing" of our minds mean? Making them like new. What does this have to do with the above passage? If the people were sure of their positions--if they knew what they really thought--about Jesus--about the miracles they saw performed by the apostles--about talking to those who had seen the resurrected Jesus, well, they wouldn't have gone from wanting to worship Paul and Barnabas one day to wanting to stone them several days later; they wouldn't have been so easily dissuaded, persuaded, or even just distracted from the truth of the message of Jesus Christ that Paul preached. We can't really blame them though, because we aren't much different--how easily we move away from Jesus having first place in our lives--from the gospel being our center point, to busy-ness, and then losing our way. . .

Do your thoughts control you, or do you control your thoughts? Is it even possible to 'rein in' thoughts of worry or fear or lust? I believe it is--in 2 Corinthians 10.5, Paul says "we are taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. . ." well then, it must be possible! Some thoughts are difficult to banish, so I find it much more productive to replace them. Picture your mind like the shelves in your pantry lined with red and white Campbell soup labels--take down the can of 'Creme of Fear' and replace it with 'Trust in God'. Replace "I can never do anything right" with "the Lord takes great delight in you!" Zephaniah 3.17. Train your minds to think about those things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely admirable . . . yes, think on such things! Think well. . . Christine (DiGiacomo) http://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/ChristineDiGiacomo#chatter