In Luke 12:15, Jesus said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” When I read this sentence, the first thing that comes to mind when I think about possessions is my “stuff.” And I’d be correct, for Jesus said this in reply to two brothers who were having a not-so-friendly family argument over an inheritance. He then went on to tell a parable about a rich man who built bigger barns to hold his crop, only to die and leave everything he had hoarded to someone else.

But I want to extend to you the possibility that not only is the property we own to be held lightly, but so are our thoughts.  I believe every one of us tends to be as jealous over the control of our thoughts as we are of our things. I know I am. Like most of us, I believe when I have a thought it is probably a good one and therefore worth keeping. This is especially true when an editor wants me to change a sentence in an article, or worse, eliminate something! I want to say, “This is my BABY! This is good stuff and inspired by the Holy Spirit, and now you want to edit God’s inspiration?!?” But they are usually right, which is why I hire them in the first place. The bigger problem starts, however, when the thoughts I hold come into disagreement with the thoughts of God. Continue Reading