43“wicked and lazy” servant gave in to. He was not chastised for
being afraid; we are all afraid when trying something new and
difficult. He was chastised for not confronting his fear and try-
ing the best he could. Not confronting our fear denies the grace
of God and insults both his giving of the gift and his grace to sus-
tain us as we are learning.
Thoughts
Our minds and thoughts are important reflections of the
image of God. No other creature on earth has our thinking abil-
ity. We are the only creatures who are called to love God with
all our mind (Mark 12:30). And Paul wrote that he was taking
“captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor.
10:5). Establishing boundaries in thinking involves three things.
- We must own our own thoughts. Many people have not
taken ownership of their own thinking processes. They are
mechanically thinking the thoughts of others without ever exam-
ining them. They swallow others’ opinions and reasonings, never
questioning and “thinking about their thinking.” Certainly we
should listen to the thoughts of others and weigh them; but we
should never “give our minds” over to anyone. We are to weigh
things for ourselves in the context of relationship, “sharpening”
each other as iron, but remaining separate thinkers. - We must grow in knowledge and expand our minds. One
area in which we need to grow is in knowledge of God and his
Word. David said of knowing God’s Word, “My soul is con-
sumed with longing for your laws at all times. Your statutes are
my delight; they are my counselors” (Ps. 119:20, 24). We also
learn much about God by studying his creation and his work. In
learning about his world, we obey the commandment to “rule
and subdue” the earth and all that is within it. We must learn
about the world that he has given us to become wise stewards.
Whether we are doing brain surgery, balancing our checkbook,
or raising children, we are to use our brains to have better lives
and glorify God. - We must clarify distorted thinking. We all have a ten-
dency to not see things clearly, to think and perceive in distorted
What Does a Boundary Look Like?