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10-03-2008, 08:42 PM
Think About These Things
"Finally, brothers, whatsoever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things." Phil 4:8
These words written by the Apostle Paul are not a suggestion or something that would be helpful for the Christian; they are a command from the LORD. I was recently convicted of the fact that I spend a lot of time thinking about things do not fit into the above criteria. I daydream and think about scenarios in my mind which will probably never happen. More importantly, they do not synch with the words in Phil. 4:8. If someone has wronged me, do I spend time giving him or her motives, which I have no idea whether they even have? If so, those thoughts may not be true or right, and they definitely are not pure or noble. When I think about trials in my life, do I worry about the worst possible outcome? If so, my thoughts again have not passed through the gates of Phil. 4:8. What we put into our minds determines what will come out of our mouths and through our actions. Paul tells us we need to program our minds to think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Boy that eliminates a lot! What are we putting into our minds; we need to replace the harmful things with positive input, primarily the Word of God. It does not mean that improper thoughts will never come to us, but we, like Jesus, can rebuke them with the Word of God. We need to ask God for help in the area of our thoughts. We may have developed some very bad habits in the area of our thought processes. It will take time and prayer and perseverance, but we can have victory.
Father, thank you for revealing to me the need to take control of my thoughts. I cannot do this without your help. Help me to dwell on the things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Help me to fill my mind with Scripture so when improper thoughts surface I can instantly fill my mind with holiness. Father, forgive me for surmising about others' motives. Give me a pure and holy heart and mind that will bring you glory and honor. Amen Quiet Waters
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Your place of refuge from the storms of life
Let Christ be your stay and your place of refuge from the storms of life.
In Christ you will find peace for your soul, a peace the world cannot take away from you.
To the storm on the Sea of Galilee, He said, "Peace be still," and the storm was no more and sea became calm.
Brethren, all Jesus would have to do is say peace be still and the turmoil of your life would be replaced by a wonderful peaceful calm.
Instead of running away from the problems of your life let Christ endow you with His power of peace to overcome them.
The Peace of God is the Power of God that enables us to overcome the storms and turmoil's of the world.
Jesus doesn't give us peace to endure the storm, His Peace stops the storms.
©10/04/2001 Jim Welch
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Devotional For Dieters
October 4
Philippians 4:11
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Sam remembered the POW camp he had spent six years in. Whenever he began to feel sorry for himself as he dieted, he remembered the time in his life when he really had something to be upset about. Dieting was nothing compared to what he had suffered. It humbled him a little. He gained great strength from the memory. God had gotten him through the war, so he knew God could get him through the diet. As long as he had the memory of all he had come through before, he knew he could make it through anything else that came his way.
Today's thought: God brings me through every situation, whether large or small.
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Curiosity Or Compassion?
READ: John 9:1-12
[Jesus’] disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” —John 9:2
Why is it that when we hear about someone who is suffering, we are more interested in the details of what, why, when, and where than we are about how we can help?
When the disciples passed the blind beggar (John 9:1), their curiosity about why he was suffering outweighed the prospect of reaching out to help him. “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” they asked (v.2). Their pop-quiz for Jesus revealed that they were dreadfully out of step with their
Master’s heart. In fact, lurking beneath their question was a judgmental spirit—a desire to know whom to blame—as if that would make anyone feel better!
Thankfully, Jesus modeled a compassionate response. Rather than speculation and condemnation, He marshaled His resources to help, which in this case meant complete healing. He made it clear that the man’s blindness was intended to provide a moment for God to be magnified through Jesus’ compassionate touch.
Feeling curious about somebody’s problem? Shift into Jesus’ mode and move past the point of curiosity to his or her point of need. Reach out and touch someone’s pain. Show the compassionate love of Jesus in action. — Joe Stowell
Amid the snares misfortune lays
Unseen, beneath the steps of all,
Blest is the Love that seeks to raise
And stay and strengthen those who fall. —Bryant
Do you want to be like Jesus? Replace curiosity with compassion.
Our Daily Bread
-----
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT
“Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 85
“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6
For what it's worth: During my diseased years, every day was miserable and there was no hope that the next day would improve. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts of recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous is hope of better times. When I suffer a difficult day, a losing bout with clinical depression, or even a spiritually dry period of time, I still have a kernel of hope. At those times, the only part of God’s will I can manage to carry into my activities is not to take that first drink. Moreover, I feel like I can not even accomplish that without begging my Higher Power for strength to do it. However, I know from experience that a bright new day always follows, and I will be sober to enjoy every moment of it. Granted, it may not be the next day, or even the day after, but it always comes - in God’s time, not mine. In fact, my Heavenly Father has shown me over and over that His goodness and love are there with me all the days of my life, even on the ones when I can not feel it. And, can you believe it; I may even have a shot at dwelling with Him forever.
God bless you!
Joe W.
"Finally, brothers, whatsoever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things." Phil 4:8
These words written by the Apostle Paul are not a suggestion or something that would be helpful for the Christian; they are a command from the LORD. I was recently convicted of the fact that I spend a lot of time thinking about things do not fit into the above criteria. I daydream and think about scenarios in my mind which will probably never happen. More importantly, they do not synch with the words in Phil. 4:8. If someone has wronged me, do I spend time giving him or her motives, which I have no idea whether they even have? If so, those thoughts may not be true or right, and they definitely are not pure or noble. When I think about trials in my life, do I worry about the worst possible outcome? If so, my thoughts again have not passed through the gates of Phil. 4:8. What we put into our minds determines what will come out of our mouths and through our actions. Paul tells us we need to program our minds to think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Boy that eliminates a lot! What are we putting into our minds; we need to replace the harmful things with positive input, primarily the Word of God. It does not mean that improper thoughts will never come to us, but we, like Jesus, can rebuke them with the Word of God. We need to ask God for help in the area of our thoughts. We may have developed some very bad habits in the area of our thought processes. It will take time and prayer and perseverance, but we can have victory.
Father, thank you for revealing to me the need to take control of my thoughts. I cannot do this without your help. Help me to dwell on the things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Help me to fill my mind with Scripture so when improper thoughts surface I can instantly fill my mind with holiness. Father, forgive me for surmising about others' motives. Give me a pure and holy heart and mind that will bring you glory and honor. Amen Quiet Waters
-----
Your place of refuge from the storms of life
Let Christ be your stay and your place of refuge from the storms of life.
In Christ you will find peace for your soul, a peace the world cannot take away from you.
To the storm on the Sea of Galilee, He said, "Peace be still," and the storm was no more and sea became calm.
Brethren, all Jesus would have to do is say peace be still and the turmoil of your life would be replaced by a wonderful peaceful calm.
Instead of running away from the problems of your life let Christ endow you with His power of peace to overcome them.
The Peace of God is the Power of God that enables us to overcome the storms and turmoil's of the world.
Jesus doesn't give us peace to endure the storm, His Peace stops the storms.
©10/04/2001 Jim Welch
-----
Devotional For Dieters
October 4
Philippians 4:11
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Sam remembered the POW camp he had spent six years in. Whenever he began to feel sorry for himself as he dieted, he remembered the time in his life when he really had something to be upset about. Dieting was nothing compared to what he had suffered. It humbled him a little. He gained great strength from the memory. God had gotten him through the war, so he knew God could get him through the diet. As long as he had the memory of all he had come through before, he knew he could make it through anything else that came his way.
Today's thought: God brings me through every situation, whether large or small.
-----
Curiosity Or Compassion?
READ: John 9:1-12
[Jesus’] disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” —John 9:2
Why is it that when we hear about someone who is suffering, we are more interested in the details of what, why, when, and where than we are about how we can help?
When the disciples passed the blind beggar (John 9:1), their curiosity about why he was suffering outweighed the prospect of reaching out to help him. “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” they asked (v.2). Their pop-quiz for Jesus revealed that they were dreadfully out of step with their
Master’s heart. In fact, lurking beneath their question was a judgmental spirit—a desire to know whom to blame—as if that would make anyone feel better!
Thankfully, Jesus modeled a compassionate response. Rather than speculation and condemnation, He marshaled His resources to help, which in this case meant complete healing. He made it clear that the man’s blindness was intended to provide a moment for God to be magnified through Jesus’ compassionate touch.
Feeling curious about somebody’s problem? Shift into Jesus’ mode and move past the point of curiosity to his or her point of need. Reach out and touch someone’s pain. Show the compassionate love of Jesus in action. — Joe Stowell
Amid the snares misfortune lays
Unseen, beneath the steps of all,
Blest is the Love that seeks to raise
And stay and strengthen those who fall. —Bryant
Do you want to be like Jesus? Replace curiosity with compassion.
Our Daily Bread
-----
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT
“Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 85
“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6
For what it's worth: During my diseased years, every day was miserable and there was no hope that the next day would improve. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts of recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous is hope of better times. When I suffer a difficult day, a losing bout with clinical depression, or even a spiritually dry period of time, I still have a kernel of hope. At those times, the only part of God’s will I can manage to carry into my activities is not to take that first drink. Moreover, I feel like I can not even accomplish that without begging my Higher Power for strength to do it. However, I know from experience that a bright new day always follows, and I will be sober to enjoy every moment of it. Granted, it may not be the next day, or even the day after, but it always comes - in God’s time, not mine. In fact, my Heavenly Father has shown me over and over that His goodness and love are there with me all the days of my life, even on the ones when I can not feel it. And, can you believe it; I may even have a shot at dwelling with Him forever.
God bless you!
Joe W.