June 26

for he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. — Prov 23:7 BSB

Our thoughts shape us. They are the silent builders of the “temple of character” we are constructing. They give form and color to the whole structure. If our thoughts are pure and true, we are building a holy temple. If our thoughts are evil, the structure rising within us is flawed.

The inner and outer life will always match in the end. A bad heart will eventually show itself in bad behavior. If a person’s life is righteous, you can be sure their thoughts are holy. Unholy thoughts will never produce righteous conduct.

Thoughts may seem insignificant, like fleeting clouds or birds passing by, but they are the most real things about our lives. Every action begins as a thought. Our thoughts fly out into the world and take shape, but their home is still our heart, where they return to dwell.