Glorious Hope!

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?

He is not here; he has risen!”

Luke 24:5b-6a NIV

I know lots of people who say Christmas is their favorite holiday, but not me. I love Easter because it is full of wonderful eternal hope!

When I was a child I use to wonder every Easter why “Good Friday” was called good. From my childish perspective people being mean to Jesus was not a good thing! What an incredible blessing it is that God can take our childish faith and over the years of walking with him he can open our eyes to the understanding of spiritual things and teach us His wonderful truth.

One of the things I love most about having God in my life is that when I look back over the years I see over and over again how God has continually drawn me to himself. I see how he has put people in my path, how he has led me from place to place and church to church. Each and every time I believe that the things that happened to me during that time was neither luck nor coincidence, but it was a divine appointment for me to encounter more of God as I continued my walk of faith. It was during these times that God was faithful to take my childish lack of understanding that comes from a secular world’s mindset and lead me into spiritual understanding of his truth. “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” I Corinthians 13:11 NIV

You see, “Good Friday” is indeed good because it is the event that gives believers GLORIOUS HOPE for the future. Jesus is risen! Because Jesus has conquered death and is no longer in the tomb we are the recipients of a glorious eternal hope! “For surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off.” Proverbs 23:18 NIV

I am grateful for the biblically recorded accounts of those who walked with Jesus and witnessed seeing him after the resurrection. Upon seeing the Lord Thomas said, “My Lord and my God.” Mary Magdalene cried, “I have seen the Lord.” John testifies that, “We have seen his glory.” Peter reports, “We are eyewitnesses to his majesty.” The cry of many of Jesus’ followers on that first Easter was, “He is risen, He is risen indeed!” These reports give us glorious hope! I thank God for the numerous eyewitness reports.

And now I ask you, what is more beautiful than an Easter sunrise? Throughout our life we may witness many magnificent sunrises but none can compare to the spectacular beauty of an Easter sunrise that is full of eternal hope! Sunrises and sunsets are both fabulous feasts for our eyes. I also believe that sunrises and sunsets are God’s unique way of reminding us in every morning sunrise of his resurrection. In every beautiful sunset God ends our day with a visual of his faithfulness both now and forever.

It is wonderful to know that this life is not all there is. Someday we too will behold Jesus Christ. What a day that will be! In addition, we will also see all the believers who have preceded us to heaven. The opposite side of this is no hope at all. Life without Jesus is hopeless. “Hope deferred makes a heart sick…” Proverbs 13:12 NIV

Jesus died on “Good Friday” to give us glorious hope in this life and throughout eternity. I challenge you to accept this hope and to teach it to your children and your grandchildren. Share this message with your co-workers and your neighbors. Meditate on this glorious hope each and every time you see an awesome sunrise and praise God for his love and faithfulness every time you witness a beautiful sunset. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 NIV Our glorious hope for our eternal heavenly future is what makes life worth living. He is risen! He is risen indeed! This is our glorious hope!

Questions:

Do you personally know the joy of this glorious hope?

Is there anything in this life that is more hopeful, more dependable?

What does this glorious hope mean to you?

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

Thank you so much that I have a glorious hope because you conquered the grave. I am filled with joy at the prospect of living with you forever and with the hope of seeing again my loved ones who have died knowing you as their personal Savior. Help me Lord not to keep this good news to myself but help me to be bold and share this amazing hope with those you put in my path. Thank you for pursuing me and for continuing to open my childish eyes to new truth every day.

In your name I pray. Amen.

Were the Whole Realm of Nature Mine!

“Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, Lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, You mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, Wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds young men and maidens, old men and children.”

Psalm 148: 3-4, 7-10, 12 NIV

Today’s scripture is a call to praise God. Wow! What an amazing list the psalmist gives to us who are called to praise God. Yet, there is still more! This list goes on and on. In nature we find the smallest of insects, beautiful flowers, vegetation, soft fluffy clouds, butterflies that flutter, rainbows, green grassy meadows, sand and surf, lush woodlands, breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Each and every God created thing is a part of God’s magnificent creation. An old hymn reminds me that “were the whole realm of nature (personally) mine, that would be a present far too small” to offer up to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This is Holy Week. It will do us all well to reflect on the incredible sin sacrifice that Jesus Christ became for the sin of mankind. God said from now on there will be no more yearly sacrificial lambs. No, this year I will provide the lamb! God himself sent his one and only perfect sinless son to become that sacrifice.

The day that I accepted God’s free gift of salvation I became free from eternal punishment. My death sentence was pardoned. God washed my sinful heart with his son’s blood and I became forgiven, rescued, redeemed, and restored. You see, Jesus was sinless. He had no business being on that cross. But me, that’s another story. My ancestors blew it in the garden. They were without sin and then they chose sin. You and I inherited that sin. God’s holy presence cannot tolerate sin so the consequence was all mankind banished from God’s holy presence forever. Yet God in his amazing love for his creation made a way for us to come back home. In a nutshell, the way back home was through the death of his perfect sinless Son, Jesus. The fact is God only accepts a sacrifice that is perfectly pure and spotless, that’s why it had to be Jesus because no one else would do. But remember, it should be you and it should be me because we are the sinful ones.

This week I want to reflect on the fact that Jesus surrendering to death on the cross was not an easy assignment. In fact, he asked his Father to make it go away and find another way. But the answer to his prayer was no. And so it began the agony and dread, the sweat drops of blood, the human emotions and then accepting the will of the Father. He then moved on to betrayal, false accusations, the abandonment and denial of friends, the scourging, the mocking, the walk to Calvary, the weight of the cross, the weakness, the humiliation, the nails, the piercing of the sword, the spitting, the cursing, the taunting, the pain, the thirst, the loss of blood and breath, and then the abandonment of his Father, and then bearing the weight of the sin of the world. No, this was not an easy assignment!

Words will never be enough to tell him of your gratitude neither is there a suitable gift for you to give to him. If the whole of nature was yours, that would be a gift far too small! All you can do is let Christ Jesus know how grateful you are for this gift and then give him your heart, your life, your all. Today I pray that you will let Jesus do for you what he came to this world to do. Jesus Christ surrendered his life and became the once and for all sacrificial lamb for the sin of the world. The gift is inclusive but the acceptance of this gift is personal. This gift will not be yours unless you reach out in simple faith and take this gift as your own. Simply believe that this is God’s truth for you.

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross,

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ, my God;

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down;

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Isaac Watts, published 1707 Hamburg Lowell Mason, 1824 Copyright: Public Domain

Questions:

When you look at the cross on which Jesus died do you count your greatest gain or accomplishment in this world as loss?

Do you hate the pride that you feel regarding anything that takes a higher position of importance in your life than Jesus Christ?

Do you find yourself boasting about eternity in any terms other than the blood of Jesus upon your life?

Have you accepted Jesus’ provision for your sin?

If not, what are the vain things of this world that are charming you and keeping you from accepting the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice?

Think about it. Have you ever seen a greater act of love displayed by any other man or any other god?

Prayer:

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for your marvelous act of love! I cannot fathom that kind of love. I do not see that kind of love modeled by any other man, religion, or god that this world would set up ahead of you. I thank you Jesus that forgiveness and redemption is mine through your sacrifice. I accept your gift to me in faith for now and forever. I am beginning to understand that if the whole realm of nature was mine to give you that would be a shamefully small gift to offer you as payment for all you have done for me. Yet your amazing love demands that I give you absolutely nothing except my soul, my life, my all. Lord Jesus, I do.

In Your Name I Pray. Amen.

On the Way to the Coffee Pot

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith,” I Peter 5: 8-9a NIV

As was my habit, I had gotten up early. The birds were just waking up and singing their song. I knew if I could just get my first cup of coffee then maybe I would also have a song to sing.

It was a short walk from my first floor bedroom, across our great room and into the kitchen. When I was half way to the coffee pot I burst into tears for no reason at all. I felt a huge sadness come over me. By the time I reached the coffee pot I was sobbing. I did not know why.

Another part of my early morning routine is to get my coffee and go onto the porch or into the great room and sit in my chair and have my “Quiet Time.” It is here in my chair that I can get lost in reading the Bible, journaling, praying, or working on a Bible study. It is always a very special time for me as I spend time with Jesus. When I do this it sets the tone for my day! Everything seems to run smoother and be less irritating. Missing my “Quiet Time” is a problem because when I do, before I know it, I’m totally stressed out or upset about something!

I do believe that on this particular morning I was attacked by Satan on my way to the coffee pot. The method to his madness was to get to my spirit before I could get to my chair. Satan knew that if I made it to the chair his chances for discouraging me were less. He wanted me to become so depressed and upset that I would never make it to my chair. He wanted me to totally miss my appointment with Jesus.

I believe that through the protection of the Holy Spirit I was able to quickly recognize exactly what was going down! I immediately said in a loud and clear voice, “Satan, get out of my way, I am on my way to my chair whether you like it or not. In the name of Jesus Christ be gone. Satan, you may not go with me to my chair. I have an appointment to meet Jesus and you are not going to stop me!” Satan left. I poured my coffee. I went to my chair. My time with Jesus was sweet.

I will admit to you that some days I do not make it to my “Quiet Time”. It is difficult to have private time when I am visiting away from home or when I have house guests. When I miss this time alone with God there is always a price to be paid. I have come to realize that if I miss a day or two – I know it. If I miss three or four days – my husband knows it. If I miss several days – the whole world knows it!

My “Quiet Time” is how I keep my focus on Jesus instead of my circumstances. It is where I can praise God and offer adoration and worship to the all knowing, all present, all powerful God. It is where I can enter into a personal relationship with the God of the universe. It is the place that I can express my gratitude for all my blessings. It is where I can ask for wisdom and guidance for my day. It is where I can surrender personal hurts and painful situations. It is where I can choose to set aside my negative attitudes and give God my raw emotions. It is the place where I can leave those I love in God’s care. It is where I can grasp onto trust and release my fear. It is where I can be honest. It is the place where I can sit at the feet of Jesus and receive spiritual insight. It is where I can seek forgiveness and healing for the sin in my life. It is where I can pray for others. It is where I can silently be still and wait for God to speak to me in his still small voice. It is where God restores my soul. It is the place I can receive comfort, peace and power from the Holy Spirit. It is indeed, the garden of my heart!

Questions:

Do you have a “Quiet Time?”

Does spending time alone with God make a difference in your day?

Do you struggle to make this happen?

Have you considered the possibility that maybe Satan is creating distractions to keep you from spending time alone with God each day?

What can you do about that?

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

I pray that I will never stop trying to make time for you. Lord, I know that you understand the times when I cannot be with you. I know that you will still go with me throughout that day but that I may become weak and easily distracted. My time with you that day will come from quick prayers and short worship. I thank you that when I do spend time with you I am never disappointed but instead I am strengthened and refreshed. Help me Lord to make time for you daily. When I do miss my time alone with you, please protect me from Satan’s lie that tells me that I blew it as usual! Help me to fight that lie by getting back on track sooner opposed to later. God, Help me to be alert and recognize the sly tactics that Satan uses to distract me and keep me from spending quiet time alone with you.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.

Anticipating This Year's Beautiful Garden

“The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.”

Isaiah 58:11 NIV

Every year God gives me another chance to improve my gardens. I get out there and roll up my sleeves, put on my gardening hat, grab my gloves, shovel, and kneeling pad. I tote a wheelbarrow full of plants, pull out the garden hose and begin the process. All the while as I work I hum to myself, I pray, and I visualize and anticipate that this year’s garden will be the best one yet! Oh the heart of a gardener! I am reminded that even though I do the physical work it is God who brings the success. It is God’s rain and his sunshine that produce results.

This year I have decided that I am going to add something new to my heart’s garden. I am adding a darling gazebo that will be surrounded by brilliant blue hydrangeas and covered with climbing hot pink mandevilla vines. This will be the focal point in this year’s garden. I am going to use the gazebo as a focal point for spiritual growth. This will be the place where I will set my mind on things above. It will be the place where I will surrender my will to God. This will be the place where I will unload my emotions. This will be the place where I will cry out for God’s help. This will be the place where I will tell God I love him and he will whisper that he loves me too!

As I am dreaming of the gazebo, God taps me on the shoulder and says, “come walk with me.” After a little while I begin to wander off of the flagstone pathway. I bend down and remove my shoes so that I can feel the cool, thick carpet of fescue as we walk. This new spring growth reminds me that my spiritual growth is all about having the mind of Christ. As we walk the Master Gardener simply says, “Paula, don’t forget to read my Word. It will be your strength and it will guide your steps and light your pathway.”

The Master Gardner brings to my attention the stately ferns and the lush hosta. He tells me that even though they seem fragile, they are foundational in providing that lush green background for all the other beautiful flowers. He says, “Paula, I love these plants because they are established plants that come back every year.” He reminds me that I must not take for granted the previous perennial growth that is in my garden, that even though these plants are intended to come back every year, they could be uprooted at any time! Therefore, I must continue to gird up my mind and be ready for action and obedience when negative thoughts come into my mind. It is important not to damage any of the foundational plants of my faith that are showing signs of established spiritual growth.

Today I am also thinking about my emotions. I confess Lord that they are huge! My emotions trip me up and they jump out of the bushes when I least suspect. Jesus reminds me that he too had emotions. Then I begin to remember that Jesus wept at the death Lazarus. He showed compassion and mercy to those he healed. Jesus loved the little children. I imagine Jesus even laughed and shook his head at the disciples, wondering if they would ever get it! Jesus loved his mother and entrusted her to John as he was dying on the cross. He became angry with the merchants for desecrating the temple. Jesus felt the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter, the anguish of Gethsemane, and the rejection of mankind. I believe that when a person is mocked, spit upon, scourged and nailed to a cross their emotions have the potential to flair up and explode! Yet Jesus kept his emotions under control at all times. Jesus was able to control his emotions out of his love for the Father and by keeping his focus on his reason for coming to this earth. “Now my heart is troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, it was for this very reason I came to his hour. Father, glorify your name!” John 12: 27-28 NIV

So today I must take stock of all that is growing in my garden. I must protect the good perennials because they are foundational to my faith. I must work to uproot the weeds that will choke out my joy. I must allow God to plant new truth and water it well. I must fertilize my garden by reading God’s Word. I must be on the lookout for the pestilence of negative thoughts and emotions. Yes, this year I am anticipating a beautiful garden! The Master Gardner and I will work to improve my heart’s garden every day. I must care for my heart’s garden because I love the Gardner. "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11 NIV


Questions:

How important is it to focus on God’s will for your day?

What are you currently doing to keep growing in your love of Jesus?

How do you keep your mind ready for any attacks that may come from your emotions and trigger sinful, damaging thoughts?

Do you believe it is possible for God to help you in your time of need?

What are you currently doing to take care of your heart’s garden?


Prayer:

Dear Father,

I pray that this year my spiritual garden will be the most beautiful garden that I have every allowed you to plant. I am seeing that the things that offend me, tick me off, aggravate me, irritate me, and hurt me need to be filtered through your love for me and your love for others. Teach me your thoughts of mercy and compassion and your thoughts about forgiveness. Fill me with your thoughts that remind me that I am loved by you. Help me to replace my thoughts with your thoughts. Lord I am in need of thoughts that will allow me to trust and obey you. I pray Father that I will not be driven by my emotions but rather by my love for you. Oh Father, how I desire that I might love you enough to give my emotions to you. Help me to know that you are all I need and that you will always be more than enough. I pray that my responses and my attitudes would be the same as yours and that my actions would glorify your name. Father, help me to remember that just like Jesus, my purpose for living is also to bring glory to you.

In Your Son’s Name I Pray. Amen.

What is Growing In My Garden?

"It is for freedom

that Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, then,
and do not let yourselves

be burdened again

by the yoke of slavery."

Galatians 5:1 NIV

As I am walking into the garden this morning there is a lilt in my step. The birds are praising God and so am I. My first thoughts are pure and full of praise for my Savior who has set me free from the bondage of sin and death. My Savior, the one who has conquered death and the grave! Heavenly thoughts stir up nothing but pleasure because I know that heaven will be my eternal home because I have been set free to live with Jesus forever.

As I enter the garden the Master Gardner greets me with a smile, a hug, and hands me a freshly clipped red rose that is still bathed in the morning dew. I accept his overtures of love, and respond back with “I love you too.” I think…hmmmm… the mind of Christ. I wonder what he is thinking today.

I don’t have to wait long before the Master’s voice comes to me in a gentle whisper. Paula, I want to set you free from the bondage that still enslaves you here on this earth. I want you to stand firm and not allow yourself to be burdened by the yoke of slavery. My response is, “Lord, what do you mean?” He tells me that once I was enslaved to sin but he set me free. He further explains that even thought I have that freedom; I still remain in bondage to the results of sin while I am here on this earth.

Jesus lovingly explains that Satan wants to keep me in that place of bondage so that I will be an ineffective Christian and in addition to that he wants to steal my joy. The Master Gardener reminds me that this is serious business because Satan wants me to live in bondage to my fears, my weaknesses, my hurts and my resentments. He wants me to feel that I am worth nothing. Now my Savior adds, “I on the other hand want to set you free from those very things that are growing in your garden of your heart. I want to uproot all of those deep rooted, poisonous plants and I have the power to do so if you will trust me.”

Jesus then brings to my memory something that happened last summer. I was visiting a beautiful formal garden. In the middle of this garden set a gorgeous marble sculpture of an angel. As I admired that work of art I couldn’t help but wonder how the sculptor was able to take that huge block of marble and have this beautiful angel be the end result. I remembered hearing my art teacher say that the sculptor must first see in his mind the object that he wants to carve, and in this case, an angel. He then begins his work, cutting away anything that is NOT angel. It may take him many years but the end result is a gorgeous angel.

How interesting that God would bring this to my mind. Could it be that this is exactly what God is trying to do with my life? It is in my mind that the Master begins to work on his masterpiece. The goal is to remove anything that isn’t Jesus from my life! This work of art began the day I invited Jesus Christ to come into my life and it will not be finished in my lifetime. However, it will all come together and be unveiled in heaven when I behold him and then I shall be like him. “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.” Romans 8:29 NIV Today and every day many thoughts will enter my mind that does not represent Jesus’ thinking. I cannot control those thoughts but I can control what I do with those thoughts. All Jesus asks of me is to choose to take that thought captive; it is my responsibility to give that negative, sinful thought to him. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV Jesus in return will set me free one thought at a time. One day at a time. This is how I will begin to have the mind of Jesus Christ.

This is God’s plan for you as well. Whatever is growing in your heart’s garden that is not lovely, God wants to uproot. He wants to take the heart of every believer and sculpt it into his likeness. He does this by cutting away all that does not look like him. He plants beautiful flowers of grace that surround your life’s sculpture and when Satan comes around trying to destroy all that is beautiful and good the Master Gardner is on hand to uproot any weeds that threaten to choke out his grace. God is faithful to keep a watchful eye on all that is growing in my heart’s garden and in yours. Only in heaven will the finished work of our life lived here on earth find its place in eternity.


Questions:

What negative, sinful thought does God want to set you free from?

Do you believe God has the power to do so?

Why are you hanging on and cherishing this thought?

Is this thought stealing your joy?

Do you want to take this thought captive and entrust it to Jesus?


Prayer:

Dear God,

Today I see that Satan is stealing my joy. The nerve of him to try to rob me of something so precious! God, I am feeling very weak here and I am not sure that I can take that thought captive. You see Father, I like that thought. It protects me and it brings comfort to me in my pain. It keeps me in a safe place where I do not have to take a leap of faith or forgive the unforgivable. I need your Holy Spirit to empower me so that I can take that sinful thought captive. I am just lying to myself when I say that this thought is protecting and comforting me. I realize that I am not in a safe place. Please God, I need your help. I now take this thought captive and in the name of Jesus Christ, ask you to free me from this bondage. Replace that sinful thought with your heavenly thought of grace. Restore in me the joy of your salvation. God, please cut away, one day at a time, all that does not look like you. I ask you to uproot all of the things that are growing in my garden that are holding me in bondage. I thank you God, for the work that you are doing in my life.

In Your Son’s Name I Pray. Amen.

The Mind of the Master

Soaring the heights in search of the unclouded mind of the Master.

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure;

then peace loving, considerate, submissive,

full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

James 3: 17 NIV

I am sad to say that many times my attitudes and responses do not reflect the way that Jesus thinks. I must admit that I often lust for the things of life that have no spiritual value at all. They may not be wrong but they can often put me in a state of discontentment that allows Satan to have a foot hold in my life and that hinders my fellowship with Jesus. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is pure. Jesus modeled this pure wisdom while he walked on this earth.

Jesus was peace loving. Knowing the way Jesus thinks allows me to think peace loving thoughts as well. I can learn to choose to set aside unhealthy thoughts that lead me far away from peace. The Bible teaches that it is possible for believers to reject the thoughts that cause us to become fearful and the thoughts that add stress to our lives. We are commanded to reject sinful thinking and be holy. “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy,” I Peter 1:15-16 NIV If this was an unachievable task we would not be commanded to do so by our Lord. The Holy Spirit will endow us with the strength that we are lacking. We only need to ask.

Gentleness is pretty easy to grasp until I start multi tasking, running out of time, or feeling stress from having too much to do. Harsh words come out when I am not at peace. Jesus was considerate and acted in gentleness. I don’t recall Jesus being rushed, hurried, out of time, or stressed. Hmmmmm, where is the message in this?

There are some days that those around me “walk on eggs” trying not to stir up a storm! Not so with Jesus. Jesus was available and approachable. In fact Jesus calmed the storm.

I have experienced people speaking hard words to me. I have felt them push me away and falsely accuse me. I have suffered the pain of relationships changing and some ending. I have longed to be vindicated to no avail. I have hardened my heart and built walls of protection around myself so that no one could ever hurt me again. My thoughts and attitudes have been anything but merciful. But Jesus was merciful!

I have had times in my life that I shut down. I have deliberately shut out love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self control. Circumstances in life have made me angry and darkness has settled in. But Jesus never caved in to that type of behavior. Because Jesus possesses all of the fruits of the spirit, his thoughts are always full of love, joy and peace. He is patient, gentle, good, faithful, and meek and when he walked on this earth he had all his emotions under control at all times.


Many times I have been wishy-washy! I was trying to live a lukewarm lifestyle and live in the gray areas of life. I approached sin by placing my big toe on the line but not crossing the line. I have in the past tried to live a Christian life with one foot in the world and one foot in heaven. I might ask myself, Paula, how did that work out for you? The answer is not well! Jesus set the example of being steadfast, faithful, never wavering. It is in those attributes that he modeled that we will find our spiritual strength.

I have experienced dishonesty and lying. I have been insincere. I have picked favorites and sided with what was popular. Jesus on the other hand was always truthful, impartial, and always sincere.

I have experienced, and at times I still do experience hate, pain, fear, impatience, hardness, bad attitudes, faithlessness, unbelief, arrogance. I imagine that if you my readers are honest, you have all been exactly where I have been and at times revisit those same haunts. That is why we all need the mind of the Master! All of the things that he was when he walked this earth he still is today! He is our model for this life. He is the wisdom that is straight from heaven. His thoughts are holy. He calls us to be holy because he is holy. All of his virtues are worthy of our pursuit. I may never get it perfect in this life but I pray that I will die trying to walk in the shadow of his love and grace. With the help of God all things are possible. Maybe not all at once or forever and always, but most certainly inch by inch, trial by trial, and temptation by temptation. God’s heart is moved toward us when he sees us walking toward him.


Questions:

Do you see yourself in need of different thinking?

Do you believe that it is possible to take your negative thoughts captive and allow Jesus to change your thoughts to be like his thoughts?

Choose one negative thought and begin to talk to Jesus about it today.


Prayer:

Dear Lord,

I am in desperate need of your help. There are so many thoughts that I need to give to you. Help me to allow you to guide me in this process. Give me understanding as to how you think. Free me from the bondage of sinful, self-centered thinking. I need the power of your Holy Spirit to help me successfully surrender my will to your will. I desire that my mind will be ordered by you. You have promised that you would keep me in perfect peace if I will keep my mind on you.

In Your Name I Pray. Amen