Choose Life (Part Thirty): Accurate Thinking

Accurate Thinking

Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:5-6, NKJV)

We continue this week with the story of the sick man healed at the Pool of Bethesda. [John 5:1-15].

I don’t know about you, but I use to have a slight challenge understanding a part of the third verse of Romans chapter 12. Part of this was, probably, due to my growing up with a bit of an inferiority complex. I use to think it should read, "Do think you are better than you really are.” And not, “Don’t think you are better than you really are."

To me, I was already thinking lowly of myself. I couldn’t go lower. Could I? That, however, is not the focus of the scripture. It is all about ACCURATE thinking, not high and/or low thinking. It is being brutally honest based on what one has learned or has been revealed. It is not bloated or presumptuous. It is not the name it, call it, shout it, confess it, spit it, vomit it, etc. stuff. It is working with what is, not what is not. In light of our study, Romans 12:3 will read,

"Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think [presume] you are better than you really are. Be honest [accurate, sound, sure, true] in your evaluation [thinking, mental model, story] of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith [wholeness, standard] God has given us." (Romans 12:3, NLT, emphasis, mine)

Do you know who you are? Do you know your calling, your place in the body? Do you know your strengths and your weaknesses? Do you know the opportunities and threats that avail? What are you doing with them? Life is waiting for you. What are you doing about it?

When are you going to start living?

© 2017 Akin Akinbodunse

Links to Study Series:

Choose Life (Part Twenty Nine)

Choose Life (Part Thirty-One)

Links to Other Resources:

The Art of War (Sun Tzu)

The Art of War - Spirituality for Conflict (Sun Tzu and Thomas Huynh)

Closing Thoughts:

"Humility is to make a right estimate of one's self." (Charles Spurgeon)

"The power of thought is the most dangerous or the most beneficial power available to man, depending on how it is used. Separate facts from fiction or hearsay evidence. Separate facts into classes: important and unimportant." (Napoleon Hill)

"The way we respond to criticism pretty much depends on the way we respond to praise. If praise humbles us, then criticism will build us up. But if praise inflates us, then criticism will crush us; and both responses lead to our defeat." (Warren W. Wiersbe)