Growing Good Thoughts

READ: PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9; JAMES 1:21-27

Picture this: You’re walking through a beautiful garden, admiring the carefully planted flowers and foliage and appreciating their beauty. Then, you look closer and notice some things that the gardener definitely didn’t plant: weeds! They seem to crop up everywhere, even when we didn’t plant them.

In a way, our minds are a little like a garden, and our thoughts are like the plants. Bad thoughts are like weeds. We don’t have to try to put bad thoughts in our minds. They seem to just come on their own. We all catch ourselves thinking about bad things sometimes. Those bad thoughts might be sinful, like hating another person, or they might be troubling, causing our stomachs to tighten in fear. But like weeds, they can be pulled out. Often, the best way to get rid of bad thoughts is to focus on the good seeds God has planted in us instead. When we remember that Jesus died and rose again to free us from sin and that He has given us His Holy Spirit and His righteousness, it helps us weed out bad thoughts and cultivate good thoughts instead.

These good thoughts could be things like Bible verses, or thinking of ways we can help others and share God’s love with them, or even just remembering good things God has done in our lives. And we can always think about Jesus—remembering what He’s like, what He did when He lived among us, and how much He loves us. Even though we still have bad thoughts sometimes, it’s hard for weeds to take root when our minds are focused on good things like that.

The reality is, everyone struggles with bad thoughts. Sometimes it seems like they just pop into our heads. But that doesn’t mean we have to let them stay there. We can weed them out and plant good thoughts instead. The more we let God fill our minds with His love and truth, the less room there will be for weeds. • A. W. Smith

• What are some good thoughts you could fill your mind with? Consider keeping a journal, on paper or on your phone, of Bible verses, songs, ways God has blessed you, ways you can serve others, and people you can pray for. Then, the next time bad thoughts crop up in your mind, you can pull out the list and try focusing on those things instead.

• When bad thoughts come, we might feel like we can’t talk to God about them, but He already knows it all and wants to help us (Psalm 139). What thoughts could you share with Him today?

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 (NLT)