Tag Archives: Reflections

Who, me change my thinking?

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woman thinkingJanuary 1, 2013

How eager am I to transform or change? Change is hard, downright difficult for me. And sometimes I can’t even see where I need to change. But I do want to change if I’m not living the way I should or thinking the way I should.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will. –Romans 12:2NIV

Now that’s a hard one – my thinking, my mind. This verse says that I am transformed (reminds me of the transformers of the 80s – you know the ones that went from a prehistoric animal to a man, etc.) by the renewing of my mind. So it’s my thoughts that are misguided, it’s my thoughts that encourage me to mold myself after the culture around me, to the TV shows I watch, the websites I visit, the language I hear used at work or the reactions that have been engrained in me from childhood.

But how do I recognize wrong thoughts? I’m not sure, but I am thinking that first I need to become conscious of what I am thinking, saying, watching, doing. I need to catch myself thinking! And since I am a Christ follower, I need to match up those thoughts to what the Bible says.

One verse that should help determine if my thinking is good thinking or stinkin’ thinkin’ is Philippians 4:8 ..whatever 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.

If what I’m thinking and what this verse says don’t equal, then I need to do some serious self-examination – the truth is, sometimes I don’t want to hear and accept what the Bible says to think on – I want to be able to be mad, to jump to conclusions, to think the way I want to think. So it’s a bit of a fight until I make a conscious decision to recognize and honestly confess stinkin’ thinkin’ to God, then ask for his power to help me to think the way I should.

Then this verse says that whenI put this into practice I well be able to know what God’s will is in each situation. Wow, wouldn’t that be awesome to understand his will!

Hoping that 2013 is a year that sees my(our) minds renewed in ways I(we) can’t imagine and understanding his will better than I(we) ever thought possible.

What do you think?  Would love to hear your thoughts!

The Dichotomy

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We’re so stuck on our outward appearance.  Watching TV and movies, you’d think
that’s all there is to life.  But there is this great dichotomy happening within
and without each of us.  Do you feel it?  Paul, the writer of the 2nd letter to
the Corinthian church years ago, understood it.  Listen to this from the 4th
chapter of his letter – he says in verse 16 Even though on the outside it
often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is
making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. 

He understood the feeling and he correctly diagnosed it.  Outwardly we are wasting
away, coming up against all sorts of things – physcially and emotionally.  BUT
God is working at the same time in the deep places of our being.  He’s working
to make us a new being – one that ‘looks’ like Hm, more like his love, his
compassion, his peace, his joy, his wisdom and so much more.

That is the great awakening that we Christians must realize.  When culture and our human
nature beckon us to focus on the immediate, the physical, the unfairness of it
all, the outward we need to catch ourselves.  We need to become concsious of
what we are thinking and change that thinking to focus on the inward.  Seek God
and ask how Him how he wants to use this immediate situation, whatever it is, to
make us more like him.

When we seek or come to Him – God promises to show  up, take our hand, lead us and bless us. Read Psalm 73 and you’ll see that it’s true. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2073&version=MSG

Oh God, I love your Word it is so life-giving!

He Walks With Me and He Talks With Me

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gardenI’m thinking of an old hymn this morning as I write this. I deeply  appreciate the old hymns because they are so full of such deep meaning. Many are full of theology, some are cries to God for help, many contain Scripture. I also enjoy the new worship songs of this day, but nothing will ever replace the richness of hymns.

One of my mother’s favorite hymns and therefore well known to me, because she very often would sing it at home while I  was growing up, was ‘In the Garden’. It’s been coming to my mind this morning  and I wanted to share it with you; it’s a song about prayer.

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

I love the whole song, but what’s really causing me to think today is the refrain – He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own. Prayer is so much more than us telling God what we want; it is conversation with our best friend, Jesus Christ.  I hope you take the time today to walk with Him and talk with Him and that you hear Him reaffirming that you are His own. It’s our very lifeblood, it’s what allows us to go on and gives us our mission and purpose. Oh that the world would
be able to experience the God of the universe stepping into time and space and walking and talking with us and whispering –’You are mine, I know you and I love you.’

Let’s ask the Lord to show us how to develop that closeness with
Him, let’s keep that calmness of mind that we find early in the morning that
allows us to hear His voice. Let’s find joy as we ‘tarry’ with Him this morning.

Scripture meditation: Isaiah 43:1-2