In his letter to the Philippians 4:8, the Apostle Paul penned these inspired words: "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." What a contrast this is compared to the daily news outlets filled with grim details of one crime or another! Yet, we might wonder how do we find all these good things to think about that Paul references in his letter?
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After all, we are citizens of heaven where we will spend eternity quite unlike this world where we face sorrow, sickness, death and sadness.
Secondly, what we think about the most influences who we become. Each day our minds are filled with many thoughts. We need to discard those thoughts that tear down our faith and meditate on those that increase our faith. Too much T.V., radio, podcasts or even social media can weigh our spirit down. Scripture teaches that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and soul (Matthew 22:37). Therefore we need to bring our thoughts under His Lordship every day.
Finally, we need to remember that we are in a battle against the Enemy of our soul. He cannot steal us from the Lord but he can take us out of action by wounding us or causing us to run down
a bunny trail. The more we grow in the knowledge of the Lord and His Word the stronger we become as we face daily trials. God gave the commission to share the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ with those around us. If our mind is cluttered with "junk", we won't have the right words to say at the right time. Instead, we will be worried about the "news" of the day or what someone said about us on social media. So what is our take away from all this?
Taking Paul's advice is a good start. Begin our days with God's Word and end it the same way. Talk to Him in the Morning and in the evening and any time in between. Think on His promises...not the promises made by politicians who cannot deliver. Most of all, take a break from electronics for a while. Focus on the Lord and what He has done for us! In fact, I believe that if we all walked away from the T.V. for a week we would come back to find much the same headlines like a soap opera. Only God offers the "Good News" and the truth. This is what should be on our minds! Selah!
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