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Thinking Good Thoughts? In His Word 10-20 2025
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Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is
prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right; the righteous
walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them. Hosea
14:9
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on
You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3
At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the
wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it
seemed good in Your sight. Matthew
11:25-27
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things
are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things
are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if
there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things. The things which
you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of
peace will be with you. Philippians
4:8-9
When I was
a little girl I used to have ‘bad dreams
or nightmares’ like most kids do. Often times they would be so bad I could not
fall asleep as I was sure the giant boulder was going to come and crush our car
while we were driving it again in my dream!
At times
like this my mother would say to me “ Think happy thoughts! Think of ballerinas
and butterfly’s things that are good.” And so, I would fall asleep with good
thoughts and often I would end up dreaming that I was a prima ballerina dancing
swan lake. The point was I went to sleep with peace in my heart because I was
focused on the right things.
The Word of
God tells us to think on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and
of good report. I think my mom was saying the same thing!
Today we
could have started our day by thinking of how rotten it was that Monday got
here so soon. How little time we had on the weekend to get something done that
needed doing, and yet here we are back on Monday with a work week ahead of
us! Boy, that makes my heart heavy just
writing it! I want to challenge you this week that each day you will think on
these things! Think on what is true; that means reality check to me! No more
thinking about how little I can do in my day but instead I will choose to see
what I can get done in one day!
I will not listen to lies I tell myself that are derogatory!
I will instead choose to think on things that are right! Things that are noble
are things that are right.
Good stuff! What is something that you can do today that is
of noble character? Can you open the door for a little old lady? Or bring lunch
to the homeless guy on the corner with his little sign? Maybe what you will do
is be honest to someone about how good a job they are doing at work? Even if
it’s not the first person you would have thought to encourage, that is what
noble character is, when someone does not deserve it you bless them anyway!
Then think about things that are fair, and just. A just
Judge will choose accordingly. If you are thinking with justness, then you will
not be looking for what is in it for you, but what is in it for the other
person.
Think about it, how many of us deserve to go to heaven? We
all are sinners, and yet our Just God chose to send Jesus to wipe those sins
away and stand in our place for punishment that we could still get to Heaven!
Think about how you can be just in decisions you make this
week. Just do the right thing!
The right thing will be the thing that is pure, with out
blemish or spot. That is the hardest one to find something to think about but
yet it is also the easiest! Jesus is the only thing that was ever pure on this
Earth.
Thinking on what is lovely is easier, because there are many
things in our lives that we consider lovely. Lovely as in pleasing to the eye,
could be flowers, a new dress or even a person. Lovely as in emotions could be
how good it feels to get a hug. So think on these things….
What is left is a good report. How can we give a good report? How can we get
a good report?
Well, as a child I remember that when I tried my best in
school I would come home with a report card with good words written on it. Now
I am not talking about the letter grades, but the words the teacher wrote
beside or under such things. When I go through boxes and discover one of these
cards, I don’t really pay much attention to the letters, just to the notes from
my teachers to my parents. They tried to
sum up what they thought of me in one paragraph a report. Just as I wanted a
good report for my mother, I want God to have a good report of me.
So, when I am thinking on these things, I need to remember
that God wants me to be doing the right thing, to have a good report by doing
what is right!
For all these things the nations of the world seek after,
and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these
things shall be added to you. Luke
12:30-31
That is what is good, so these are the things I will think
on, how can I seek after the kingdom of God? By reading His Words in my Bible
and doing what I see.
By keeping the right thoughts in my mind, that’s my part all
alone. No one else can control my thoughts, but I can decide not to dwell on
something that I thought was wrong. I can choose not to think about giant
boulders squashing my car! I can seek after God and His righteousness. His will
for me, and then all the safety and all the peace will be added to me.
I just have to be sure that I do not have ‘stinking
thinking’. We choose what we are to think, we really do!
There is a scripture in Psalm 118, that reads “this is the
day that the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it.” In this scripture
I have found boldness and truth. When the psalmist wrote it he was making a
choice to rejoice in the Lord! IF we start each day with that thought, how much
more wonderful will our day be?
Well even if the ten seconds that you thought those words
were the only time of the day you thought to rejoice, that will be an
improvement over yesterday!
Then the next day you could think about what He has done to
make you rejoice in your life. The next day what the Lord has done to give you
reason to rejoice in His Word!
You get the idea? It is a choice to think on these things,
or to think on those. Those would be the not so good things, the downer things,
the evil things, and the despairing things. They can all still be there in
life, but the way you look at it will make all the difference in the world!
This week,
take each day to think on those things above. There are enough for one a day I
am sure! When you get to the end of the Philippians things, then think on
reasons to rejoice in God your Savior!
Dear
heavenly Father, thank you for today. Thank you for the wise words of my mother
when she told me to think happy thoughts. Thank you Lord that You have gone one
further in telling us what happy thoughts to think on! Lord help us to keep our
minds focused on You this week that we may have the perfect peace that comes
with such good thinking. In Jesus name. amen
Suggested Readings for this week.
Monday: Isaiah 1-4
Tuesday: Philippians 4:1-23
Wednesday: 1 Timothy 4:1-16
Thursday: John 13:1-20
Friday: 1 Corinthians 10:1-33
Weekend readings: Titus 2&3 Good reading there! Lots to
think on!
***If for any reason you choose ever not to receive this
devotion again please remember that all it takes is replying with a
"Please remove me from this list." I do ask that if there is a
problem with anything I write for you to feel free to write me back and let me
know what the problem was, that we might go over it together and seek the truth
in love.
In His love,
Teresa M. Wilson
www.teresawilson.com