4:233 – Take and Make Time to Think

#faithbites #faithjourney think

Scripture

One of my biggest pet peeves is when I’m talking and someone interrupts me. It ticks me off as I’m in mid-thought and boom, there it goes. My wife says it’s because I take long pauses in between sentences. Well, that’s when I’m thinking (and breathing). I often find myself getting upset when I’m forced to make a decision or do something when I don’t have time to think about the ramifications. This is hard for me as I’m a person of action. I want to do do do. The problem is taking the time to think or in all actuality, making the time to think. We can’t be “go, go, go” all the time. We need to be still and think. This comes through prayer, relaxation, and understanding what God wants us to do next.

Today’s Questions: How do you make time to think about what is going on in your life? How can you involve others in your thinking time? What would happen if you took the time to think, plan, and then act?

Scripture

• Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
• 2 Timothy 2:7 – Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
• Matthew 15:11 – It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”

Reflection

Right now there are a lot of things going on in my life. Some things are in my control and others outside of it. I’ve found myself just doing things to do them rather than thinking about the ramifications. I need to slow down. Our first two verses today, illustrate why we need to think. In Philippian,s we see that if we want to know what is honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendably, excellent, and worthy of praise, we need to ponder those. Then in 2 Timothy, we see that the Lord will give us understanding in everything. But, and here’s the big butt, we need to take time to think, pray, and reflect, when we don’t we have problems. As we see in Matthew, it’s not what goes in the mouth but what comes out that defiles a person. Often we speak harsh and unkind words to one another when we think we are doing what is righteous and good. The operative word is “think”. Did we thoroughly think about it, did we pray on it, did we ask others their thoughts? Often times we didn’t, we just acted.

As we close, we need to focus on the second piece of this. It’s not just the act of thinking but we need to make the space for it. We have to cherish our alone time. Thinking time doesn’t just appear out of the blue, we need to make space. Add time to your calendar, turn off the social media, shut off the TV, close that book, and just make the time. God will make clear what you need to do.

Prayer

Lord God, we come to you for help. You’ve made us people of action and we are pleased to serve. What we’ve found is in our desire to serve, sometimes we don’t slow down to find the best way to help. We speak words that we think are helpful but are bitter and unkind. There are times when we feel we are extending a hand in friendship and teaching but instead shoving a knife into someone. We pray for you to help us make time to think, pray, and reflect.

Lord Jesus, we know you went off by yourself to pray and recharge. Help us do that so that we can be thinkers whose actions are pleasing to you. We pray this in your name, Amen.