The topic of today is “Love thinketh no evil†but many other translations like the NIV, ESV, NASB translated this text as “Love does not keep record of wrongsâ€. Love thinketh no evil is a very important admonition because everything that we do start from the thoughts in our hearts. Mark 7:20-23 And He (The Lord Jesus Christ) was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.â€
The thought is very important also because our thoughts are hidden in our hearts, masked, and protected and no one knows what another person is thinking until you see their actions. And we do not know what the individual’s thoughts patterns is like, whether it tends towards evil or towards good. But God knows the intents of the heart of a man and how the thought pattern of a person works. Jeremiah 17:10 stated that “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Therefore, God deals with us through our hearts because someone might look so good outwardly but have a filthy heart and someone might do a benevolent act just for the likes, but God sees it all. And the Bible stated that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9. This is because as we stated above according to the word of God, evil deeds like hatred, lies, thefts murders etc. proceed from our hearts and they start as thoughts.
We also naturally tend to think in a negative way when we are hurt. We “register†the hurt in our catalog and hold unto that to protect ourselves from further harm while we think about ways to get back at the person. This we do in our thoughts before the actions manifest and many things can influence our thought pattern and hence influence how we handle situations.
We can be influenced to think evil thoughts by the images we see, feed our eyes with, hear and people that we associate with. These things cause us to set aside the word of God and think in a particular way to align with what we are experiencing now. We can also deliberately allow ourselves to have a negative sinful, thought system which is counterproductive to our faith and will inhibit the flow of a loving sprit in the church.
When we are devoid of evil thoughts towards our brethren in Christ, there will be an atmosphere that enables a loving relationship which seeks to build each other up through exhortation, psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs making merry in our hearts. Ephesians 5:19. This will help us to reduce our natural selfish inclination and obey the command of the Lord Jesus to love our neighbors as ourselves.
We can continue having a loving relationship devoid of evil thoughts by guarding our hearts with the word of God so that we have a template to refer to when something happens that will lead us to think evil thoughts. Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.†Whatever you allow in your hearts will take root and grow and you will start fighting to unroot it. So, the best thing is to start early to study and fill your heart with the word of God which will alert you once something evil like unforgiveness is about to be planted.
The apostle Paul encouraged us to replace evil thoughts with godly thoughts in Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Was that gossip about that sister true? and when you heard it where you secretly excited that evil is happening to someone else? That scheme that you plotted to manipulate another person to your advantage was that honest and prudent? Will you say that lusting after that person was a pure thought? Were you walking in love when you gave that evil and bad report about that minister that destroyed his ministry and caused many of his members to defect to your ministry?
When someone hurt you and you keep that evil report register hoping to seek revenge are you working in love? All the night that you laid awake on your bed thinking about everyone that has hurt you, did you forget that you hurt others too? Those evil thoughts, unforgiveness and revenge is a cycle that comes around to everyone but is only broken and set aside by a heart that obeys God’s command to forgive and let go. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.†(Eph 4:32) “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man has a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.†(Col 3:13)
We can go on and on but the principle to be gleaned from here is that evil actions stem from evil thoughts but shining the word of God in your heart constantly will reveal where the evil is lurking and remove it.
May God help us to desist from thinking evil thoughts which will ruin our Christian faith. May He help us to hide His word in our hearts that we will not sin against Him. Amen
Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
