"Be careful what you think,
because your thoughts run your life."
because your thoughts run your life."
Proverbs 4:23 (New Century Version)
I'm
sure this won't be the last time you hear someone say the that things
translated into English sometimes have their meanings shrunk down to fit the
language. In some languages one word
may have multiple meanings or nuances and yet be limited to just one word in
English. In the Bible there are many
words like that. The words heart, soul,
mind, and spirit have overlapping meanings in the Bible unlike English. In English, the mind does the thinking, the
heart does the feeling, etc. If you
would like to study these Biblical words deeper and get a clearer picture of
what I'm talking about, here are two links that may help you:
In our lessons about the
tongue it is important to remember that God is not primarily interested in the
words that are coming out of our mouths.
God wants us to understand that the words coming out of our mouths are
words from our hearts.
Here is the NIV (New
International Version) of the verse in the box at the top of the page. "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do
flows from it." Not only do the
words in our hearts flow out of our mouths, they flow into our actions.
Jesus had something to say
on this same topic. He uses a tree to
illustrate his point.
"For no good tree bears bad fruit,
nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own
fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes; nor are grapes picked from
a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure
of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces
evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:43-45
What is the determining
factor in a life of good or bad actions or a mouth filled with good or
evil? You can find the answer in the
short Proverbs verse in chapter 4:23. "Be
careful what you think" or another way of saying it from the NIV -
"guard your heart".
Think of some ways you can
begin to guard your heart? If thinking
in those terms feels awkward or clunky, maybe you can think about it this
way. What kinds of things influence how
you think and feel?
If you are willing to put
the time and effort into guarding your heart, the Bible has some words of encouragement for you. They are found in Proverbs 16:23. Here they are in two different versions of
the Bible:
New King James
Version (NKJV) " The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
And adds learning to his lips."
New Century
Version (NCV) " Wise
people’s minds tell them what to say, and that helps them be better
teachers."
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