AVOID STINKING THINKING

You shall not covet your neighbor's house;

...wife...male servant...female servant...ox...donkey

or anything that belongs to your neighbor.  Exodus 20:7.

Coveting is different than the other 9 commandments. They don't stone a person for coveting because it is so hard to prove. No one can tell when a person crossed the line from admiration or appreciation to ardently desiring what another man owns. To keep from coveting, a person needs to self-police his thinking. Wrong thinking can lead to adultery, stealing, lying and even murder. When our Lord pointed out that anger/hate precedes murder, and lust precedes adultery (Matt. 5:21-28) He showed that those commandments related to our thinking realm, also. It is, therefore, very important what we permit our minds to dwell upon. Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil.4:4) to be anxious for nothing using our safety valve of prayer to afford us incredible peace (Phil.4:6-7) and to think on what is true, honorable, pure, lovely, of good repute, of things that are excellent and worthy of praise (Phil.4:8). Paul exhorts us to dwell on these things.  In Romans 12:2 Paul tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Turn from the world's way of thinking. It is a trap. He further exhorts the Corinthians to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5b). We can defeat ourselves severely in our Christian walk by "stinking thinking". What we dwell on, what we think on really does matter. A children's song has these words, "Be careful little eyes what you see; Be careful little hands what you do." We need also to teach ourselves, Be careful little minds what you think.                                       

Russ Simpson