Married Thoughts

I like the sign BELIEVE in ASL.  It's literally THINK + MARRY.  It struck me the first time I saw the sign, and I've been pondering it again in the last week or so, as I've been listening to discussions about belief -- belief in God, the finished work of the cross, the promises of God, the words of Jesus, and what it means, looks like, and implications of believing it all.  Just a few things that Jesus said:
You will do greater things than I have.
It is finished.
I will always be with you.
I will let you know what to say, so don't worry about it.
I will provide the food, clothing, and shelter you need.
There is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus.
You are the light of the world.
You're no longer a slave to sin, but a slave to righteousness.
You're an entirely new creation, completely different from whatever was before.
My grace is sufficient.
You are being changed from glory to glory.
And on and on and on....

What if our thoughts were married to these things that Jesus said? 
Where our thoughts are is incredibly important.  The harshest rebuke Peter received from Jesus ("Get behind me, Satan!") was when his thoughts were on human concerns rather than having in mind God's thoughts.

Paul talks about being a slave to God's law in his mind, that living life according to the flesh is evidence of a mind that is focused on and believes what the flesh desires and wants, not what God says and wants.  He was concerned for the Corinthians, that their minds would be turned away from simple devotion to Jesus.  In Ephesians he talks about getting rid of our old way of thinking and desires and having a new mind.  He links together our behavior and thoughts, saying we're enemies of God in our minds because of (or as evidenced by) our behavior.

James talks about being double-minded: not fully believing and being susceptible to the circumstances around them. 

And Jesus talks about believing: believing what He says, who He is, what He does, what He will do.  (Especially in John.)

What's in our minds is a big deal!  No wonder Paul talks about being transformed by renewing our minds: by readjusting what we believe.  So set our minds on things above.  To marry our thoughts to God's thoughts and God's words. 

Awhile back, the big question was, "What would Jesus do?"  Maybe the big question is, "What would Jesus think?"  If we think something that Jesus doesn't think, we're believing something He doesn't believe -- our thoughts aren't married to His.

So whatever the answer is to "What would Jesus think?", marry your thoughts to that thought.