Thinking Spiritually: part 2

…………………………………….

Welcome to the series of blogs on John Owen’s book The Grace & Duty of Being Spiritually Minded. The book begins with the following illustration…

“In the spring, we see trees covered with blossom. Some of that blossom falls off too soon and comes to nothing. Some of it remains and then there is fruit. People’s minds, like trees full of blossom, are full of thoughts. Many thoughts will come to nothing. Some will produce fruit – good or bad. The kind of thoughts we have may tell us if we are spiritually minded or not. As a person thinks, so he is (Prov 23:7).”

So what is there to learn about being spiritually minded from the opening illustration of John Owen’s book. Do you generally think about your thought life in the way Owen’s describes above?

It is common for people to convince themselves that there is a wide gulf between what goes on in their minds, and what actually sees the light of day in their lives.

However Owen begins by illustrating how the connection between our thought life and WHO WE ARE as people is an intimate one. Like the blossom on a tree, our thoughts can  either i) wither to nothing OR ii) produce fruit – good or bad. If your anything like me though, you probably think very little about what will be the outcome or results of your thoughts… hence this series of posts. Maybe jot down the reflection questions below and think/pray over them on the way to work – or whatever.

…………………………………….

Some reflection questions:

- Do you ever think you can keep your thought life independent from who you are as a person?

- Do you ever think about what the outcome of your thought-habits might be?

- What areas of your thought life, are most likely to produce fruit that dishonours God?

…………………………………….

Next post we’ll lok at how Owen suggests we can gauge wether or not we really are spiritually minded.

Advertisement