Minding Your Thoughts
A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life
Luke 8:35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
Interesting! The man who was in his wrong mind was now in his right mind, but the people who thought that they were in their right mind may have been in their wrong mind. They were afraid because of the results of God working in this so-called “maniac of Gadara.” Certainly, to one extent or another everyone is afraid of the unknown, and especially of the unknown power of God working in someone’s life. But perfect love of God casts out all fear (I John 4:18).
This maniac was not in his right mind when he was roaming the graveyard, when he was unable to be controlled by restraints, or when he was hurting himself, his family, and his friends by his crude actions. But, after Christ healed him, saved him, this man loved the Savior to the point that he was willing to follow Christ wherever He would go. We find this wild man fellowshipping with Jesus, sitting at His feet, submitting to the One who delivered him from the awful fate of a continued wasted life.
Make no doubt the Bible is true when in the previous chapter of Luke (7:47) it says, Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little (speaking of the woman who washed the Lord’s feet with her tears and dried them with her hair). Yes, those who have much forgiven love the Lord much, and those who love Him much can have fears cast away. They can be in their right mind.
Speaking of much, how much is much? Lest ye feel that others can love the Lord more than you because He saved them from some such awful place understand this. When a person trusts Christ as their sacrifice for sin, He forgives all their sin. All is everything. Everything is much, in fact you can’t get any more from the word “much” than all. No matter the scope, depth, or tense (past, present, or future) of your sin, God has, or can, forgive all. The hymnist said like this, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed me white as snow.” Upon understanding this you can love Him much because He has forgiven much, in fact, He has forgiven all. That kind of truth can bring right mindedness to anyone who will accept it.
May the Lord Bless and be pleased with your thought life today.
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