Monday, December 26, 2016

Help us to think on the things that YOU would have us think on, Lord.

Think on these things-------   We are told what to think.  People don't like being told what to think. If I tell you to stop thinking about something, you might tell me that you will, but sometimes being told not to think about something makes us think about it more. If I tell you to think about something you might, but you also might quickly forget to think about what I told you because other things pop up in your thoughts. If God tells us to do something wouldn't it be great if we simply listened to Him?  We try, don't we? We try to try? We want to try. So often the things we think of are NOT good things. We may tend to dwell on things that make us sad, things that depress us. Or we might obsess about things that scare us. Anxiety reigns in our thoughts gone awry. Can we control our thoughts? So often it appears we cannot control our thoughts. People will take various drugs to control their thoughts, hoping to stop them from being emotionally overwhelming, distressful, painful, too much to bear. Those who have never had a problem with their thoughts may not be able to understand, but I'm not among those people. I HAVE had a thought control problem and from time to time it creeps up and tries to take over again.  I know others who also will start thinking of things and spiral downward into those things that only make them upset. I've told others to try to stop thinking of those things and fill their mind with other, better things, and even as I tell them this I know how hard it is. We can't give up trying though, can we?

God tells us the best things to think of…

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 
Php 4:9  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 

True things-    Consistent with fact or reality; not false or erroneous.(Dict. Def.)
Honest things-   Honest definition, honorable in principles, intentions, and actions; upright and Fair things-  An honest person. (Dict. Def.)
Just things-   Guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness (Dict. Def.)
Pure things-   Having no moral failing or guilt:  (Dict. Def.)
Lovely things-  Of a great moral or spiritual beauty (Dict. Def.)
Virtuous things- Moral excellence; goodness; righteousness. (Dict. Def.)
Praiseworthy things-  The act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation (Dict. Def.)

Thinking TRUE things, not the things made up in our minds, things we imagine, but things that are reality. If we are prone to thinking of things that aren't real we open ourselves up to a lot of trouble. God would have us think on GOOD things.  In the world we live in today it's not easy, is it? The stuff that floods our minds on a daily basis is often very far from lovely, pure, fair, honest, pure, true, just or praiseworthy. We need to think on CHRIST JESUS our SAVIOR and the HOPE of the eternity He came to bring to us. He came to bring us HOPE not to scare us, not to bring us despair. He wants us to think on Him, He wants to live in us because HE IS OUR HOPE, truly our ONLY HOPE in a world filled with so much darkness. Hope found outside of Him is false hope.

Please, Lord, please help us to find all our hope in YOU so we may think on lovely things- You and the Hope You give to us, a hope that goes far beyond this world, this short life of ours.

All in the name of our SAVIOR, Jesus Christ our Lord!

AMEN!

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