And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? Matthew 9:4
One of the queen’s duties over the years has been to visit schools and meet the children. One day, she and Prince Philip arrived at a school where they had never been before. The children were all lined up in front of the school to greet their monarch, all dressed in their nicest, and with their hair carefully combed and with bright happy smiles on their faces. As they walked toward the children, still too far away for their voices to carry, the prince turned to the queen and jokingly said, ‘Remember to keep a stiff upper lip’. To their surprise, the children burst into laughter. What the prince did not know was that the school they were visiting was for deaf children. And those children knew how to read lips. But a bit of embarrassment for Prince Philip is insignificant compared to the embarrassment of those who fail to realize that not only all their words but also all their thoughts are known by God.
The miracle that Jesus had performed in healing the sick of the palsy should have convinced the scribes of Jesus’ deity. But they rejected that possibility, instead opting for the unreasonable conclusion that Jesus had blasphemed by declaring the man’s sins forgiven. This was their thought; they did not say anything. Immediately, Jesus provided another proof of His deity by revealing their thoughts. So these men were doubly guilty of failing to recognize their Messiah. And they will one day be doubly judged for their unbelief. Many today know, or should know, that their thoughts are all known to God, but they continue on with their wicked thoughts and the wicked actions that follow those wicked thoughts. And they are responsible for them all. But sometimes I wonder if some of the Christians are not just as prone to forgetting that all their words and thoughts are known and read of the Lord.
We would never utter some of the things we sometimes think. And while we would never be guilty of using words that would be described as potty-talk, we sometimes use substitute words and expressions that convey the same meaning, and think we are innocent. The world is filled with actions and images that defile our minds; it is hard to escape it all. And the gutter language of the people we encounter every day tends to afferct our own speech, unless we are very careful. We need to focus our thoughts on holy things to keep our minds and tongues pure.
We know that the Lord Jesus knows our thoughts. Do we always act according to this knowledge? -Jim MacIntosh