Thoughts

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8‭-‬9 NIV

Overall, humanity places pretty high value on our thoughts. When they become challenged, we become defensive and guard them as our most valued possession. Often we choose our partners and friends based on those with like-minded thoughts. We form these thoughts into ideologies and band together into churches, groups, and political identities. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this; we are social animals responding to years of genetic tribal living. The problem, however, comes when we become so entrenched in our thoughts that we can no longer listen to anyone else's thoughts -- especially God -- and our arrogance stops us from allowing our thoughts to be changed.

Today's verse reminds us of the need to be humble in our thinking. We are God's children, created in his image to live peacefully, cherish the earth, create beautiful things, and worship him. So how have we done trying to outthink God? We live in systems of injustice, oppression, and war; we have ravaged and abused creation, created biological and atomic weapons, and frequently worship anything but God.

By God's grace, we don't have to live that way. Our loving Father sent his only Son as a sacrifice to atone for our wrongful thinking. The Holy Spirit is the moral compass that directs us in God's thinking. By relinquishing our ways and seeking the Lord, we become molded into the higher mind of God.

Loving God, his great are your ways, and your thoughts higher than ours. We confess, we have been haughty in our thinking and have not listened to you. Instead of creating peace and beauty, we have made war and ugliness, and we have failed in worshipping you as we should. Father, please forgive us. We pray through you, Son our Savior, Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Shalom,

Pastor Tim