“Love thinks no evil…”
~1 Corinthians 13:5
SO OFTEN what we think comes out in our words and actions. We often think that our thoughts are harmless, but our thoughts have power over what we do. This is especially true in our relationship with others. One characteristic of love is a pure mind as we see in 1 Corinthians 13:5, “love thinks no evil.” While you may never slander or speak ill of someone you love, your thoughts could tell a completely different story. However, true love not only speaks well of others, but it also thinks kindly of them as well. The Heidelberg Catechism, addressing the 9th Commandment, states the following in Q&A 112, “What does the ninth Commandment require? That I bear false witness against no one, twist no one’s words, be no backbiter or slanderer, join in condemning no one unheard or rashly; but that on pain of God’s heavy wrath, I avoid all lying and deceit as the very works of the devil; and that in matters of judgment and justice and in all other affairs, I love, speak honestly, and confess the truth; also, insofar as I can, defend and promote my neighbor’s good name.”
IMAGINE IF each of your thoughts was spoken the moment you thought them. Imagine if thoughts were no longer private, but everyone around you could hear what you were thinking. How would your thoughts change? Would people you say you love hear that you find them annoying, self-centered, or irritating? Often, we think things we would never speak, but we must realize the danger of our thought life because our thoughts will eventually become our words. Proverbs 23:7, “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Jesus said in Matthew 15:18-20, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man…”
OUR THOUGHTS are considered private, but the truth of the matter is that God knows and hears everything we think. Charles Spurgeon once said, “Remember that thought is speech before God.” 1 Chronicles 28:9, “…for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts.” Psalm 94:11, “The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.” Isaiah 66:18, “For I know their works and their thoughts.” Matthew 9:4, “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” 1 Corinthians 3:20, “The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
SCRIPTURE CLEARLY teaches that God knows our every thought, and He takes our thoughts seriously. Jesus said in Matthew 5:28, “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Therefore, guarding our thoughts and not thinking evil of others should be as important to us as what we say or do. That is why Solomon wrote in Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” What are your thoughts concerning those you call your friends? Do you find yourself, on many occasions, degrading them in your mind? Our text is clear, “love thinks no evil” (1 Corinthians 13:5). Take a moment to ask God’s forgiveness for your sinful thinking and ask Him to help you think of others in the same manner you would speak about them. As Jesus said in Luke 6:31, “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”
Tuesday Encouragement: July 8, 2025
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
