Bible League: Living His Word Above all, be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life.God has given human beings the ability to think. He has given us the ability to rationally reflect upon virtually everything there is. Although we may not fully understand a lot of things, we are still able to think about them. We think about the physical realm around us, the plant realm, the animal realm, and the human realm. We can also think about God and religious matters. God has revealed things about Himself and our relationship to Him and we can think about what He has revealed. We can also critically reflect upon and evaluate our thoughts. We can turn from everything that surrounds us on the outside and look inward to that which is going on in our minds. Perhaps because we have less control over what goes on outside of us we tend to think about those things more often than we think about what goes on inside of us. Nevertheless, we are certainly capable of doing it. We are capable of thinking about our own thoughts. Although we may not think about our own thoughts all that often, our verse for today says that we should be careful about what we think "Above all." That is, above everything that we should be careful about, we should be careful about what we think. We should not allow just any old thought to course its way through our minds unhindered. We should take control of our thoughts. We should be careful to only think about things we should be thinking about. This is because sin can misdirect our thinking just as much as it can misdirect our actions. We should think about our thoughts so that we keep ourselves from sin in that area. After all, "The LORD hates evil thoughts" (Proverbs 15:26), and what Christian wants to do what the Lord hates? More importantly, we should think about our thoughts because our thoughts control our lives. Thoughts don't always remain mere thoughts. Thoughts can have legs. Thoughts can be the precursor of what we do on the outside. If we think wrong thoughts, wrong actions may soon follow. Today, ask the Lord to help you think about your thoughts. And ask Him to help you take control of them. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingIsaiah 59, 60, 61 Isaiah 59 -- Your sins have separated you and your God NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Isaiah 60 -- The Glory of Zion NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Isaiah 61 -- The Spirit of the Lord is on me; The Year of the Lord's Favor NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 1 Thessalonians 4 1 Thessalonians 4 -- Live to Please God; The Dead in Christ Brought with His Second Coming NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.Insight We are saved by faith, not by deeds. But love for others and for God is the response of those whom God has forgiven. God's forgiveness is complete, and Jesus said that those who are forgiven much love much. Challenge Because faith expresses itself through love, you can check your love for others as a way to monitor your faith. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 36:9 With thee is the fountain of life.There are times in our spiritual experience when human counsel or sympathy, or religious ordinances, fail to comfort or help us. Why does our gracious God permit this? Perhaps it is because we have been living too much without him, and he therefore takes away everything upon which we have been in the habit of depending, that he may drive us to himself. It is a blessed thing to live at the fountain head. While our skin- bottles are full, we are content, like Hagar and Ishmael, to go into the wilderness; but when those are dry, nothing will serve us but "Thou God seest me." We are like the prodigal, we love the swine-troughs and forget our Father's house. Remember, we can make swine-troughs and husks even out of the forms of religion; they are blessed things, but we may put them in God's place, and then they are of no value. Anything becomes an idol when it keeps us away from God: even the brazen serpent is to be despised as "Nehushtan," if we worship it instead of God. The prodigal was never safer than when he was driven to his father's bosom, because he could find sustenance nowhere else. Our Lord favors us with a famine in the land that it may make us seek after himself the more. The best position for a Christian is living wholly and directly on God's grace--still abiding where he stood at first--"Having nothing, and yet possessing all things." Let us never for a moment think that our standing is in our sanctification, our mortification, our graces, or our feelings, but know that because Christ offered a full atonement, therefore we are saved; for we are complete in him. Having nothing of our own to trust to, but resting upon the merits of Jesus--his passion and holy life furnish us with the only sure ground of confidence. Beloved, when we are brought to a thirsting condition, we are sure to turn to the fountain of life with eagerness. Daily Light on the Daily Path Matthew 6:13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.'Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered. James 1:13,14 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. • But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 2 Corinthians 6:17 "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. Genesis 13:10,11,13 Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere-- this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah-- like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. • So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other. • Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD. 2 Peter 2:7,9 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men • then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, Romans 14:4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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