A Loving Thought Life

Devotion 10 – A Loving Thought Life

Rom.5:5 “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

The love of God is shed in our heart, poured into our spirit when we are born again. However, to grow in Christlikeness, the love of God in our spirit must affect our soul.

We have body (flesh), soul (emotions and thoughts) and spirit. It is not enough for the love of God to just remain in our spirit alone. It has to also permeate our soul. The works of the flesh are the manifestation of our soul life. All the works of the flesh start with a wrong thought or a wrong mental attitude that we have allowed to remain in our mind, which ultimately bear physical fruit. It is often said, sow a thought and reap an action.

Rom.8:5-6 – “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

 

This scripture contrasts the works of the flesh and the works of the Spirit. We can be carnally minded or spiritually minded. To be carnally minded is to live according to the flesh and it will produce the works of the flesh.

Gal.5:19-21 – “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like…”

To be spiritually minded is to produce life and peace. How do we constantly and practically be spiritually minded so that it will affect our soul life or thought life?  Our thoughts can be influenced by our flesh or our spirit. How do we differentiate thoughts that come from God and thoughts that come from our flesh? We can have the love of God in our spirit yet constantly be carnally minded.

If God’s nature, which is love, dwells in our spirit, then to be spiritually minded also means to be love minded. Any thought that is void of the love of God is not from God. If our thought is influenced by the Spirit, it will always be in line with the love of God.

1 Cor.13:4-8 – “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things…”

If we have the love of God in us, we will not entertain evil thoughts towards others. We will not harbor thoughts of jealousy, envy, unforgiveness, disgust, etc., etc. For love thinks no evil.  Love will not allow that evil thought to exist in your heart and in your mind.  We will always have good thoughts towards others.

Flow vs Overflow

Imagine a bottle filled with very little water. The bottle represents us as a vessel of God and the water inside this bottle represents the love of God. When we have very little love of God in us, we have to consciously and intentionally pour out that love from within us when we minister to people, as we can only give what we have. However, if we are constantly filled to the brim with God’s love in our spirit and soul, it will genuinely and naturally overflow from us to others.

Jn.6:63 – “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

 

We always impart something when we are in contact with others. Jesus says that He imparts spirit and life. What do we impart? What flows out from us as we minister to others? If, instead of love, we have unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, or hatred, they overflow from us; and we impart death.

 

Matt.12:34 – “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

 

Prov.4:23 – “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.

The love of God in our spirit must affect our soul. We must unclog any painful or bitter experience. If we have a wrong relationship with one person, it will affect our relationships with everyone else. What is in our spirit will ultimately affect our soul and we cannot compartmentalize our soul life.

If we want to impart life and a healthy spirit others, we need to watch the health of our soul and learn to cultivate a loving thought life.  For that reason, Paul exhorts us to constantly mediate on healthy thoughts so that we can have a healthy soul life.

Phil.4:8 – “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”