What kinds of thoughts are pleasing to God?
Deuteronomy 6:6-7“You must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.”
Deuteronomy 11:18“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.”
Joshua 1:8“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
Psalm 1:1-2Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.
Psalm 119:15, 23, 48, 78, 97, 99I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. . . . Even princes sit and speak against me, but I will meditate on your decrees. . . . I honor and love your commands. I meditate on your decrees. . . . Bring disgrace upon the arrogant people who lied about me; meanwhile, I will concentrate on your commandments. . . . Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long. . . . Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws.
Jeremiah 31:33“This is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
2 Peter 3:1-2This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.
God is pleased when we think about his Word, because his Word reveals who he is and helps us to become like him.
1 Samuel 12:24“Be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you.”
1 Chronicles 16:12Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given.
Psalm 77:11-12Then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.
Psalm 107:43Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.
Psalm 119:27Help me understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds.
Psalm 143:5I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done.
Psalm 145:4-5Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles.
God is pleased when we think about his mighty works and all he has done for us—the beauty of his creation, his miracles, and his care for us.
Romans 11:33Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
1 Corinthians 2:7-10No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.
God is pleased when we think about his wisdom and his ways—most of all, the revealed mystery of the gospel and its redeeming power.
Zechariah 7:10Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.
1 Corinthians 1:10I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.
1 Corinthians 10:24Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.
Ephesians 5:17Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
Philippians 2:2-4Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
1 Timothy 5:3Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her.
Hebrews 10:24Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
1 John 3:17If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?
God is pleased when we think of ourselves as part of the community of believers. This perspective will guide us to seek unity, to be thoughtful about how we treat each other, and to think of ways to encourage and care for others.
1 Chronicles 28:9“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”
Psalm 48:9O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple.
Psalm 63:6-7I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 104:34May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
Malachi 3:16-17Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name. “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child.”
Matthew 22:37Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’”
God is pleased when we think about him.
Matthew 6:20“Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.”
John 14:2-3“There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”
1 Corinthians 2:9“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
Philippians 3:18-19I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.
Colossians 3:1-4Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
Thinking about heaven reminds us that this world is not all there is, and that so many of the things people chase after in this life will not follow into the world to come. Our ideas of heaven don’t come close to capturing all of its glory and grandeur and the joys God offers there. Yet one of the most amazing things about heaven is that our lives now will affect our lives there as well. When we think about heaven, we remember to invest our lives in the kinds of riches that last for eternity.
