I'm thinking I think that our thoughts are important

I know...a very long title, but an important topic nonetheless. Last week we talked about being relevant. That involved our actions making a difference in eternity. This week we raised the bar a bit and moved from actions to thoughts.

A good question to ponder...as human beings can we sin through thought?

We would probably all agree we can sin through our actions, but what about our thoughts? Jesus speaks directly to this in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5.

Matthew 5:21-22 - "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell." Jesus is pretty clear that simply abstaining from taking human life isn't enough. Even our thoughts about a person can inflict judgment upon us.

Matthew 5:27-28 - "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." This is straightforward as well. Adultery doesn't only happen through sex outside of marriage, but also by having impure thoughts about a person.

Jesus is calling us as Christians to something higher than simply controlling our actions; we must control our thoughts as well. But is that even possible? Not by ourselves it isn't. We must allow God to work in us so that we can "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." This means that our thoughts don't control us, we control them.

Bottom line...there will be times when something happens to us and a thought pops into our mind. At that moment we have two choices...(1) we can take the thought captive and let it pass by us or (2) we can dwell on that thought and let it take us places we are not to go.

Extra credit...if you really want to dig deep on this topic consider this: When did the first sin in the Garden of Eden occur? (1) When Adam and Eve listened to Satan, (2) when they weighed their options, (3) when they decided to eat the fruit, (4) or when they actually ate the fruit?