Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever in right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

Philippians 4:8

When I think back to high school, when I was in a boarding school in India, I remember times when I did things impetuously, without a lot of thought, on the spur of the moment, on a whim. There were times when I would say things without a great deal of forethought. One day my father gave me a round coaster for my desk that said, “Be sure brain is engaged before putting mouth in gear.”

Allowing our mouths to run freely without having our brains engaged seems to be almost a plague in our society today. Just listen to the “news” on a regular basis, and it becomes obvious that just on the topics of politics and spirituality alone, so many people have no idea what they’re talking about. You wonder, sometimes, if they’ve ever stopped to think about what they’re saying.

Scripture talks a lot about making sure we keep our brain engaged, but keeping it engaged correctly. We need to keep our minds occupied in the right manner. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” We should not let our minds roam freely. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul tells us that we are to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” He’s telling us not to allow any thought to pass through our minds without stopping it and comparing it to “whatever is true… noble… right… pure… lovely… admirable… excellent and praiseworthy.” If our thoughts don’t line up with this, we are to reject them. If we make all of our thoughts captive in this way, we will reflect God both in our speech and our actions. Uncontrolled thoughts, however, tend to produce unprofitable words and an ungodly life.

Paul says to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:15, “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.” We should be an example reflecting Christ who lives in us. Unwholesome actions reflect unwholesome thinking. But if we constantly engage our thoughts in profitable things, our life will radiate the power and love of Jesus.