Good or Bad?

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns."  (Matthew 16:21-23 NIV)

When you have a thought that comes into your mind, is it good or bad?  How do you know?  What is your definition of a good or bad "box"?  Does your definition match God's?  This is a critical concept that took time to sink in before I started to grasp just what a difference it makes in clearing our consciences.  Here's the way good and bad "boxes" are distinguished in Scripture.

Good Boxes = Truth.  The ultimate source of these boxes is God.

Bad Boxes = Lies.  The ultimate source of these boxes is the father of lies.

This goes against the definition most people have in their minds of "good" and "bad" thoughts.  Let's look at the passage above for a moment to see how this all plays out.

Jesus explained to his disciples that he must suffer and be killed.  Most people consider death to be something bad - something to be avoided.  We would consider these kinds of thoughts to be "bad."  Peter thought these kinds of thoughts were bad as well.  He told Jesus, "This shall never happen to you!"

Keeping Jesus alive?  We would think that's something good.  We would be in agreement with Peter.

Here's the problem.  Jesus needed to suffer and die.  In doing so, he would take the punishment for the sins of the world.  He would need to die in order to prove his claims about himself by fulfilling the sign "of Jonah" - rising on the third day.

Jesus would suffer.  Jesus would die.  Jesus would rise on the third day.  These statements were true.  They came from God as a part of God's plan.  They were good boxes.

Peter would not keep Jesus from suffering.  Peter would not protect Jesus from death.  Peter would not stop God's plan.  Peter's thoughts were bad boxes.  We would have probably had those same bad boxes, too.

The first step in clearing our conscience is recognizing that our thoughts need to be compared to God's thoughts.  When they match His thoughts, they are good.  When they go against His thoughts, they are bad.  No exceptions.

Are you ready to define Good and Bad the way He does?  If so, you are ready to take the next step toward clearing your conscience.