Mind Character and Personality

Magallanes, Angelika T. 7-1-14
BAP-3A
Book Report: Mind, Character and Personality by: E.G White
Chapter 73: Right Thinking
SUMMARY:
The mind is a trust from God. The cultivated mind is the measure of the man. The mind is to be educated that the best energies of the soul will be brought out and every faculty be developed. We must not be contented with a low standard. We are to move onward from one advanced line of work to another. The mind is the best possession we have; but it must be trained by study, by reflection, by learning in the school of Christ, the best and truest educator the world has ever known. Because every faculty of the mind shows that God designed these faculties to be used, not to remain inactive. The positiveness and energy, the solidity and strength of character manifested in Christ are to be developed in us through the same discipline that He endured.

We must put forth earnest effort to overcome the evil tendencies of the natural heart. Our efforts, our self-denial and perseverance, must be proportionate to the infinite value of the object of which we are in pursuit. If you allow another to do your thinking for you, you will have crippled energies and contracted abilities. The ability to fix the thoughts on the work in hand is a great blessing. God-fearing youth should strive to discharge their duties with thoughtful consideration, keeping the thoughts in the right channel and doing their best. They should recognize their present duties and fulfill them without allowing the mind to wander. This kind of mental discipline will be helpful and beneficial throughout life.

Every idea and statement should be as closely united as the links in a chain. The character of the thoughts leaves its imprint upon the soul, and all low conversation pollutes the mind. All evil works ruin to those who commit it. Purity of thought must be cherished as indispensable to the work of influencing others. The life of the soul cannot be sustained unless it is brought into subjection to the will of God. Every energy is to be exercised in doing the divine will. Our thoughts will be guided by divine love and power. We want the transforming grace of God to take right hold of our thinking powers. We may think evil, we may continue to keep our minds upon objectionable things, but what does this do for us? It conforms our entire experience to that which we are looking upon.
LEARNING:
The powers of the mind are to be cultivated. It should be wisely used in order to increase its strength. Our mind should be trained through education and reflection. We must build up a character for usefulness; we must educate ourselves to endure hardness and to be wise to plan and execute the work of God. We must be a man of pure mind and conversation—one who will abstain from every appearance of evil and give no occasion for accusation through his oblivious ways. The only security for any soul is right thinking. We have to put effort to prevail over the evil propensity of the natural heart. Do not let others think for you, let yourself do the thinking for you in order for you to see your strengths and uplift them and for you to become aware of your capabilities. There are many whose intellects are dwarfed because they confine them to dwell upon commonplace subjects.

You should wrestle with problems of thought that require the exercise of the best powers of your mind. God-fearing youth should recognize their responsibilities and fulfill them without allowing their mind to wander. Those who learn to put thought into everything they undertake, however small the work may appear, will be of use in the world. Some minds are more like an old curiosity shop than anything else. Many odd bits and ends of truth have been picked up and stored away there; but they know not how to present them in a clear, connected manner.