It’s amazing how quickly and completely our thoughts can change our moods. Negative thinking of any kind quickly steals my joy and causes a variety of bad moods. When we are negative and gloomy, other people don’t enjoy being with us, and when our thoughts are down, everything else goes down with them.
Our moods, countenance, conversation, and even our body can begin to droop in a downward position. Hands hang down, shoulders slump, and we tend to look down instead of up. People who tend to be negative in their thoughts and conversation are usually unhappy and rarely content with anything for very long. Even if something exciting does happen, they soon find something wrong with it. As soon as they see one thing wrong, they tend to fix their minds on it; any enjoyment they might have is blocked by concentrating on the negative. They may occasionally experience momentary enthusiasm but it quickly evaporates and gloom once again fills their entire demeanor. They probably do not realize they could be happy if they would simply change the way they think. We must stop merely waiting for something good to happen and take action to ensure that something good will happen. I am truly amazed when I consider the fact that we have the ability to make ourselves happy or sad by what we choose to think. The Bible says we must be satisfied with the consequences of our words, whether they are good or evil (see Proverbs 18:20). It also tells us “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it” (Proverbs 18:21). Our words begin with our thoughts, so the same principle that applies to our mouths also applies to our minds. We need to be satisfied with the consequences of our thoughts because they hold the power of life and death. I would add that they hold the power of contentment and discontent, of joy and sadness. The longer I live, the more I’m amazed by the fact that my mind so profoundly affects my moods. I still need to fight the battle in my mind and I doubt anyone reaches the point of being entirely “battle-free.” Of course, I have learned to discipline my mind more quickly than I once did, but there are still times when my mind comes under attack. God has given us the fruit of self-control (see Galatians 5:22, 23), which means we do not have to allow our thoughts to be out of control, but we can be intentional in our thinking. We can control what we think, and we can choose our thoughts. God has given us the ability to make choices about so many things in life, including our thoughts, and we must be responsible to make those choices carefully. In the realm of the mind, exercising self-control and making wise choices is called “on-purpose thinking.”
Think about It
What are the most obvious ways your thoughts affect your moods? Can you think of a person or situation you tend to be negative about?
The Great Creator-Healer
A few years ago, I had a rather serious skiing accident and severely tore the muscles in one of my legs. In fact, my doctor told me that the tear caused excessive bleeding. The healing process was slow, but during that time of waiting I found myself in awe of our great Creator (see Col. 1:16).
I’ve wrinkled a few car fenders in my lifetime and dropped more than one dish. They’ve always stayed broken. Not so with my leg. As soon as the tearing of my muscles occurred, the internal healing mechanisms that Christ created in my body went to work. Invisibly, down deep in my throbbing leg, the medics of His marvelous design were mending the tear. Before long, I was up and running again with a whole new sense of what the psalmist meant when he said that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and my heart was filled with praise (Ps. 139:14).
Sometimes it takes something like an injury or a sickness to remind us of the masterful design that we carry around in our bodies. So the next time you face an unwanted interruption-no matter its cause-focus your attention on Jesus’ wonderful love and let Him lift your heart to grateful worship in the midst of the pain!
Lord, help us to see beyond the moments of our lives
and to delve deeply into Your marvelous handiwork
and perfect design.
Forgive us for our short-sightedness
and teach us to see You in every circumstance.
Worship of the masterful Creator begins with a grateful heart.
Insight
From ancient times, the Holy Spirit has been called “the Lord and giver of life.” The Spirit took part in creation (Gen. 1:1-5). In today’s reading we also see how He was present in our physical development in the womb (Ps. 139:13-16). Above all, by the Holy Spirit we are “born again” in Christ (John 3:3-8).
Read: Psalm 139:1-16
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Bible in a Year:
Leviticus 17-18; Matthew 27:27-50
Why Cause Grief?
Pastors make an easy target for criticism. Every week they are on display, carefully explaining God’s Word, challenging us toward Christ like living. But sometimes we look to find things to criticize. It’s easy to overlook all the good things a pastor does and focus on our personal opinions.
Like all of us, our pastors are not perfect. So I’m not saying that we should follow them blindly and never confront error through the proper channels. But some words from the writer of Hebrews may help us find the right way of thinking about our leaders who are presenting God’s truth and modeling servant leadership. The writer says, “Have confidence in your leaders, and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account” (13:17 niv).
Think about that. Before God, our pastor is responsible for guiding us spiritually. We should want that burden to be joyous, not grievous. The passage indicates that causing grief for the pastor “would be of no benefit” (v.17 niv).
We honor God and make things better for our church when we give honor to those He has appointed as our leaders.
Our gracious Father, thank You for the person
You led to our church as pastor.
May we provide encouragement and support, and may You protect
our pastor from error in both word and actions.
Pastors who preach God’s Word need a good word from God’s people.
Insight
The relationship between spiritual leaders and followers can sometimes become troubled. Today’s reading reminds us that maintaining a cooperative spirit is necessary in order to benefit from those who provide spiritual direction for us. Our first response should be prayerful submission: “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive” (Heb. 13:17). But other passages of Scripture also emphasize a heart of servant leadership in those who provide us with direction: “Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor he who is sent greater than he who sent him” (John 13:16). For both leaders and followers, an attitude of mutual submission should prevail: We are to “[submit] to one another in the fear of God” (Eph. 5:21).
Read: Hebrews 13:17-19
Obey those who rule over you . . . for they watch out for your souls.
Bible in a Year:
Leviticus 19-20; Matthew 27:51-66
On Listening
God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason,” the saying goes. The ability to listen is an essential life skill. Counselors tell us to listen to each other. Spiritual leaders tell us to listen to God. But hardly anyone says, “Listen to yourself.” I’m not suggesting that we have an inner voice that always knows the right thing to say. Nor am I saying we should listen to ourselves instead of to God and others. I’m suggesting that we need to listen to ourselves in order to learn how others might be receiving our words.
The Israelites could have used this advice when Moses was leading them out of Egypt. Within days of their miraculous deliverance, they were complaining (Ex. 16:2). Although their need for food was legitimate, their way of expressing the need was not (v.3).
Whenever we speak out of fear, anger, ignorance, or pride-even if what we say is true-those who listen will hear more than our words. They hear emotion. But they don’t know whether the emotion comes from love and concern or disdain and disrespect, so we risk misunderstanding. If we listen to ourselves before speaking out loud, we can judge our hearts before our careless words harm others or sadden our God.
Lord, help me to think before I speak, to
check my heart. Help me to control my tongue
and to express myself clearly so that I won’t
cause dissension. Set a guard on my lips.
Words spoken rashly do more harm than good.
Read: Exodus 16:1-8
Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.
Bible in a Year:
Leviticus 21-22; Matthew 28
