Thoughts and Works

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Tree-of-Knowledge

Tree-of-Knowledge

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#1
Nov 26, 2017
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#1
(Psalms 92:5)
O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep.

(Proverbs 16:3)
Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established.

(Isaiah 66:18)
“For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory.


In your opinion

A. What are good thoughts and evil works?
B. What are good works and evil thoughts?
 
Nehemiah6

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
#2
Jul 18, 2017
24,347
12,872
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#2
Tree-of-Knowledge said:
In your opinion

A. What are good thoughts and evil works?
B. What are good works and evil thoughts?
Click to expand...
Before any kind of work is done (whether mental or physical) it must be conceived in the mind as thoughts. Good thoughts are those which conform to the mind of Christ, whereas evil thoughts are those which conform to the mind of Satan. We know from Scripture as to which is which.
 
M

mj007

Banned
#3
Feb 5, 2017
1,118
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#3
Intention leads to action or works.

You can't really have a good intention and it leads to evil work, unless it is something un-intended that happens out of it.
You can't really have a bad intention and it leads to good work, unless it is something un-intended that happens out of it.

Maybe think deeper about what you intend. Bad intentions are not well thought out, as to how it affects you, or others.
 
Dino246

Dino246

Senior Member
#4
Jun 30, 2015
24,681
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#4
If "right" action springs from wrong thought, is it wrong action? Yes. Jesus makes this clear in the sermon on the Mount.

Clearly, wrong action is wrong, regardless of the thought behind it. However, in this I would class inadvertent error, for not every wrong action springs from wrong thought.

That leaves right action springing from right thought, the only action that is right.

What is sad is that even right action springing from right thought can still be perceived as wrong, because it doesn't conform to the expected or desired action.

For this reason, we need the input of One Who judges rightly, Who judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart as well as the actions.
 
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Mercy4u

Banned
#5
Nov 12, 2017
203
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#5
Tree-of-Knowledge said:
(Psalms 92:5)
O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep.

(Proverbs 16:3)
Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established.

(Isaiah 66:18)
“For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory.


In your opinion

A. What are good thoughts and evil works?
B. What are good works and evil thoughts?
Click to expand...
We have to make the distinction of human good and divine Good first.

Human good is evil and dung. Divine Good is Good.

We may be feeding the poor and think it is good, but it is evil in Gods eyes. Are we feeding the poor in the power of the Spirit? Or are we feeding the poor in the power of the flesh? What is our motive?
 
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oldethennew

Banned
#6
Feb 28, 2016
11,311
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#6
loving, feeding, providing for others is 'never a bad thing', but, when Jesus steps into
the equation, then there is a whole NEW MEANING, and that is giving in the gift of
Christ's Love in acknowledgment of His Holy sacrifice...
 
stonesoffire

stonesoffire

Poetic Member
#7
Nov 24, 2013
10,665
1,829
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#7
Proverbs 16:3 Entrust your work to the LORD, and your planning will succeed.

Isaiah 66:18 "But as for me, I know their actions and their thoughts. Come and gather all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.

Its not such a mystery to solve with a better translation.

This is the ISV

 
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mcubed

Senior Member
#9
Dec 20, 2013
1,449
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#9
The greatest Scripture that helped, saved me is... Whatever is good and of good reproach think on these things. And sometimes, many time I have to start quoting Scripture out loud to make my mind stop thinking. I can get so overwhelmed by life and I know life is not real, G-d is real. This is a vapor... I guess what I want to say when I make G-d (who is real) bigger than the problem the problem G-d fixeses. But I have to on purpose put Him in His rightful place... Master, King. And somehow He does His G-d thing and it's ALL GOOD!!!! EVERY TIME!!! YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Nehemiah6

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
#10
Jul 18, 2017
24,347
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#10
Mercy4u said:
Human good is evil and dung.
Click to expand...
Only if human good works are done to merit salvation. Otherwise there is no need to brand what is good as evil and dung.
We may be feeding the poor and think it is good, but it is evil in Gods eyes. Are we feeding the poor in the power of the Spirit? Or are we feeding the poor in the power of the flesh? What is our motive?
Click to expand...
This is only applicable to Christians. But when non-Christians do good deeds, they should be regarded as good deeds. It is only when the good works are meant to earn their way to Heaven or Paradise that that is not acceptable to God.
 
Johnny_B

Johnny_B

Senior Member
#11
Mar 18, 2017
1,954
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#11
Any work we try to do for salvation or to please God are but filthy rags, Isaiah 64:6-7

“But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.7 And there is no one who calls on your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us because of our iniquities.”

Titus 3:4-7 “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,[SUB]6 [/SUB]whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
 
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Ezekiel8

Senior Member
#12
Oct 26, 2017
403
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#12
I am not sure if this is the right answer, but I am very much reminded of this parable by these questions.

Matthew 21:28-30

[SUP]28 [/SUP]But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
[SUP]29 [/SUP]He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
[SUP]30 [/SUP]And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
 
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