Bullets for the Battle

Thinking, the Defining Trait of Humanity

If there were any one word that could come close to characterizing man, it would probably be thinking ... thinking man. Even in a world of constant change and fast pace rat races, one thing that always seems the same is that man continues to think. Whether it’s thoughts of what to do this weekend or where to go on vacation, it doesn’t matter. The thinking process continues.

Thinking is so commonplace that all too often we take it for granted. But, in this modern age of computers and such, thinking needs to be reconsidered. In this computer age, the mind is often compared to the computer. This analogy is not so far-fetched. Consider a computer. It can spit out that which has been fed into it. This feeding, so to speak, is called programming. A computer can only regurgitate the facts that have been programmed into it. If the computer is fed historical facts, it will yield historical facts. The mind, much like the computer, tends to regurgitate only that which has been fed into it. If your mind has been fed trash, it will yield trash. If your mind has been fed honesty, it will yield honesty. The sad thing is that the analogy can go no further. Even though a computer is fed junk and yields junk, it will still only be a computer. But the way that a mind is programmed determines what a mind thinks, “… as a man thinks, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7). In other words, the trash that we program into our minds is what we think about. What we think about determines our actions. In essence, we are what we think. If you spend all your time watching and listening to trash, it’s not surprising that it eventually becomes a part of you. That’s how you’re programmed: trash in – trash out!

To alter the read-out from a computer, you have to alter the input. With our minds, to alter the read-out, i.e., our thoughts and actions, it is necessary to alter the input. But how can we alter our input? The Apostle Paul on two separate occasions commented on the proper programming of our minds. In Colossians 3:2, Paul says, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” In other words, Paul is telling us to re-program our minds. In Philippians 4:8, Paul gives a more precise illustration of what our minds should be programmed on. As he states, “… whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

If you feel like you have a one track mind to nowhere, or if you feel like your mind is in the gutter, start examining your program. You may be feeding your mind trash and thus, you’re merely reaping what you’ve sown. It’s time to re-program! Set your mind on things that are above. It’ll make a world of difference.