7. Morality and Values
Thinking Controls
everything.
Well first of all: Any
answers to my question of last time? My question was: What is it that is used
to change us and develop our consciences? Is it God? Or is it us? Lots of answers come to me. The Bible,
Church, Prayer, Spirituality, other people - oh and lots more. They are probably all correct - and yet
probably all wrong. In fact none of them are the answer that I am looking for.
But first of all let me tell you a silly story. Not so long ago we changed offices for work.
That is, we used to rent an office in one part of London, now we rent it in
another part of London. What happened I
reckon, for a whole week, is that each morning I got up, showered, dressed, got
into my car to go to the office as is my usual practise, and the silly car went
to the wrong office. It even parked in my old car park space. It really
did. I got out of the car and said to it,
“Why have you brought me here you silly car? This is not our office any more. Our
office is in the new place.” I had to
get back in the car and let it take me to the new office.
Of course - you know I am being silly. However, it is strange
how, with some things, after we have done them for a while, we do them
automatically, like driving, like going somewhere and wondering, “How did I get
here?” In reality of course it all comes
from our brain and even though we are not that conscious of doing it, we really
are thinking and our thinking is directing our actions be that washing,
cleaning your teeth, walking, driving, or playing the piano.
So there is the answer to “How do we change?” We change by
first of all changing our thinking. So the real answer to the question is: “Thinking”. Thinking is everything. Scripture has a lot to say about thinking,
going right back to proverbs “As a man thinks in his heart, so he is”. I often
say to people, “If you think you are ugly, you will be ugly. If you think your
good looking, you will be good looking”.
Now that’s a bit silly too, but you know what I am getting at don’t
you?
Our thinking is that which makes us what we are. Scripture also says things like, “Think about
good things. Whatsoever things are good, lovely, of a good report, think about
these things.” It even tells us to be
foolish about some things. Scripture, again, says “I would that you were
foolish in your knowledge of evil”. Or, put another way, “I would that your
thinking about evil was at the foolish level, or the ‘I don’t know position’”.
Then, in scripture again, it tells us to think about good
things. I know I have said that before,
but it’s worth repeating. “Whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are
good, and whatsoever things are of a good report then think about these things”.
I often wonder what people put into their minds. I have this argument with my grandchildren
when I think they are listening to rubbish, be it music words or speech or
drama. What you put into your mind will
affect your actions. Usually they say things like, “O grandpa, it won’t hurt me”.
The trouble is that if we put bad things
into our head, ultimately it does hurt and damage us.
And to end today, again with Scripture, it says this; “Put on
the mind of Christ”. So now, if we do that, we will get good thinking and good
actions won’t we?
Adrian Hawkes W.622 For
UCB
