In this two part devotion we will examine the incredible wisdom of biblical forgiveness and why the Bible is the finest book on having positive mental health.
Just what is a thought? I like to view a thought as a combination of electrical impulses and chemical releases by the brain, guided by a fabulously complex and mysterious interplay of body, mind, and spirit, culminating in the creation of a weightless and invisible image deep within the corridors of the mind. Or to simplify this: A thought is any idea or concept generated by the act of thinking.
It’s hard to comprehend how thoughts, which are weightless and invisible, can control and dominate every area of our lives and well-being. But if we look around us we will see that what is even more amazing is that in our present day environment, where so much of the vitality of life depends upon the things we can see and touch, it is utterly remarkable how in actuality the invisible forces in our universe dominate every avenue of our existence.
Consider the following: The air we breathe is essential for living. Without it we would die in a matter of minutes; yet it is invisible. Gravity, the force that holds our planet earth in orbit around the sun, again cannot be seen with our eyes, yet none would deny its reality. Whenever we turn on a light, radio, TV, or the host of modern appliances in our homes, the energy source that makes them all work, electricity, is invisible to us.
The chair you are sitting on is made up of trillions of atoms, so tiny that nobody, with the naked eye, can see them. According to Kenneth Taylor: “Since it is true that atoms are mostly empty space dotted occasionally by weightless electrons with great distance between, it is also true that the chair you are sitting on is mostly nothingness, held together by the force of whirling electrons moving so rapidly that they cannot be crushed. No wonder the Bible says that the things that appear are made of things not seen.”1
And yes, as we have already stated, our thoughts are also invisible and weightless. Yet how we use them holds the key to our emotional well-being and ultimately our health.
As we travel deeper into the Christian experience we are indeed fortunate to have as our guide the ultimate manual on how to use our thoughts in the most positive and rewarding way – the Bible. Tomorrow we will continue to delve deeper into this incredibly important topic of forgiveness. Stay tuned!
1 Kenneth N. Taylor, Creation and Evolution. (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1977), pp. 29-31.