Thinking righteously vs. scratching where it itches

        As the world continues to mold any one to its passions and thinking mode, I want to say it is much easier to give up on right thinking and follow the easy path. In a way this can be related to tending a garden because growing a fruitful garden is lot of work and perseverance. It is far easier to give up on all other greenery than growing a poison Ivy garden! Having said that, isn't that what we are called to do?! What is the difference between a ‘live fish’ and a ‘dead fish’? One had to remember that a live fish can swim against the water current but not the dead ones!

        A farmer or a gardener has to be extremely careful on what they are planting. If we sow olives, one can not expect figs and vice versa. This is very much related to our spiritual life, and we reap a harvest accordingly.

       Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he   that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of  the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith; Galatians 6:7-10.

       According to the above verses it is very clear, one has to be very careful about what we plant and if we continue to plant to fulfill the desires of the flesh surely we will reap a harvest of death, decay and destruction. On the other hand if we plant seeds of righteousness and God’s truth we will reap a harvest of righteousness. What we sow in our mind, every thought process has a tremendous effect spiritually. Please refer my article on the age of Eros/ the continuum of sin. 

     We can choose to grow spiritually an ugly garden which can give a harvest eternally worse than poison ivy where it itches and brings tremendous discomfort physically. When we study carefully Galatians 6 vs: 9 quoted above; it is very clear we have to be harvest minded in our thinking and learning to live to please the Spirit of God. The Spirit leads to staying energized in doing good things for the Kingdom and leads to a harvest of everlasting blessing. Now the question here is how do we do that especially how do we maintain control by thinking righteously?

     Below is a little chart to guide some one to think in the right direction, so one can weed off the poison ivy earlier in our thought process before it gets us in a deep down ward spiral. This is a biblical approach, and it is very important to understand the choices we make in our thought process have a huge effect in our system. In any situation, fear, anxiety, bitterness, anger, guilt, resentment, and depression at an earlier age may look like a non-organic illness but can have devastating effects if not handled in the right way. In other words these emotions are God’s beautiful way of telling us that something is wrong and that needs our attention.

 

       One can choose to memorize the verses below, so when we are tempted and tried in different angles, we can use that to call upon God. Sin in its entire format has its origin in the heart of man. As I have explained in my previous article on ‘Heart and mind connection’ what we sow in our minds can descend into our hearts and the heart begins to yield its crop bountifully.  

      And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come 

from within, and defile the man; Mk: 7:20-23. 

     When we sing and cry out to God “purify my heart” that means a lot to a believer and it is much more than one can see from outside.

       Instead of catering to growing poison ivy which is an easy way out and leads to eternal destruction, we are called to keep our heads and to steadfastly keep on working in whatever God has called us to do. It is then we can become more and more the kind of Christ followers and we slowly learn to maintain control by thinking righteously. With the grace of God, and the power of His might we can walk into fire and right out of it once again with out a scratch!

For further reading:

1. Millard J. Erickson. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House: 1983-85. 

2. R.T. Kendall. Understanding Theology, Developing a Healthy Church in the 21^st Century. 1996.

3. Jay E. Adams. A Theology of Christian Counseling, More than Redemption. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979.

4. Louis Berkhof. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.

5.  Robert P Lightner. Handbook of Evangelical Theology, Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey and Review. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1986.

6. Charles Ryrie. Basic Theology. Chicago: Moody Press, 1986, 1999.

7.  A. H. Strong. Systematic Theology. New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Co, 1907.

8.  Wayne Grudem. Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.

9. Steven W. Waterhouse. Not By Bread Alone, An Outlined Guide To Bible Doctrine. Amarillo: Westcliffe Press, 2007. 

10. John Theodore Muller, Th.D. Christian Dogmatic, A handbook of Doctrinal Theology for Pastors, Teachers, and Laymen.  St. Louis, Mo: Concordia Publishing House, 1934.  

11. Prayers To Move Your Mountains. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000.

12. John White. Parables, the Greatest Stories ever Told. Illinois: Inter varsity Press, 1988, 1999.

13. ESV Study Bible. English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, Wheaton, Illinois: Publishing ministry of Good News publishers, 2008.

14. The Matthew Henry Study Bible. King James Version. Iowa falls: World Bible Publishers, Inc. 1990.