“Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober.” 1 Peter 1: 13

“Are. . . .You. . . Thinking. . . About. . . .”  These words posted on four consecutive signs on the side of the road did what they intended to do.  They caught my attention.  A red light held me in suspense, however, as the fifth sign was unreadable from where I was stopped.   “Are. . . .You. . . Thinking. . . About. . . .”  Let’s see.  What was I thinking about?  And what in the world were they expecting me to be thinking about?  The light turned green, and the suspense was shattered with an answer farthest from my thoughts: Botox cosmetics.

No. I was not thinking about Botox cosmetics.  But what was I thinking about?  Was it something true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, or even praiseworthy?  (Philippians 4:8)

Scripture says to “be sober,” which has nothing to do with avoiding fun and walking around with long faces.  To “be sober” means we never allow worldly suggestions to intoxicate our thoughts and leave us staggering through life.  We “gird up the loins” of our minds.  We reject wrong thoughts and opt for right ones.  We are the ones who determine the answer to the question, “What’s on your mind?”

So, what. . . are. . . you. . .thinking. . . about?  Guarding our thoughts, being sober-minded, and meditating on eternal truth will produce a transformation the Bible calls the “renewing of the mind.”  (Romans 12:2)

And that kind of renewal is guaranteed to leave noticeable results – ones that are even life-changing.

Father, purify our minds by Your grace.  Keep us mindful of thoughts we’re not ashamed to share with You.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/07/13/bh_whats-on-your-mind/
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“Say to the righteous, that it shall be well with them.” Isaiah 3:10 (NKJV)

Missing church on Sunday leaves a hole in my week that is difficult to patch up.  A chronic illness makes this absence unavoidable at times. But I can always count on this loving message and sincere promise when it occurs:  “Tell Bethany I’ll be praying for her.” Knowing the one who faithfully sends me this message, I’m always confident the promise has already been kept.

Recently, I discovered a similar message in God’s Word and a promise as sure as the One Who sent it:  “Say to the righteous, that it shall be well with them.”  (Isaiah 3:10)

This message was sent to a nation unsure of God’s ways. And the promise it contains is for those in the same situation.  Those full of questions yet righteous in Christ have this promise:  “. . . it shall be well with them.”  No matter the doubts, the frustrations, the “wish-things-were-different” thinking that takes our affection off things above, in Christ, we can be confident that it will be well with us.

Knowing the God who made this promise, we can be sure it is strong enough to lean on.

And it doesn’t take one ounce of strength to lean.

Father, Help us to lean our weakness and our questions on Your promises. We praise You for being as certain as the promises You’ve sent. Thank You for the assurance that because of Christ, it will be well with us. In His Name.  Amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/06/11/bh_message-promise/

Have you ever asked the Lord to draw you closer to Himself — then, found an overwhelming trial lying between you and that closeness?

The apostle Peter found himself in this position.  Caught in a storm, he saw Jesus in the distance, walking on the waves.  He wanted to be close to the Lord, but the storm lay between him and that closeness.

Suddenly Jesus spoke, telling Peter and the others not to be afraid.  The Lord was standing on the waves — they were no longer an obstacle.  Granting his request to come closer, the Lord allowed Peter to walk on those same waves.

Not until Peter glanced at the storm did the pathway to Christ become an obstacle again.  The waves began to consume Peter instead of lead him to the closeness he initially desired.  Looking at the waves made walking on them impossible.

Crying out to the Lord, Peter instantly learned how close the Lord already was.  What at first seemed like an obstacle was in reality a pathway.  The waves simply revealed his overwhelming need for the strong arms that were already near.

Are you looking at the waves of life and finding them impossible to cross?

Look up.  And see Him standing on those same waves.

“He is not far from every one of us;
For in him we live, and move, and have our being.”
~ Acts 17:27,28

Father, Thank You for Your constant presence.  Thank You for the trials that show us our need for You.  Help us to acknowledge our need by looking to You daily and moment by moment.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

You can read the entire account of this storm in Matthew 14:22-33.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/01/26/bh_pathway/

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Sometimes life’s most valuable lessons begin with failure.  Recently, I embarked on one of these lessons by allowing thoughtless words to fly unchecked.  Too late to retrieve them, I found myself in an acute state of unrest and basically dysfunctional.  I was the only one to blame for those words, and I needed a stern reproof.   After asking God’s forgiveness, I knew what else had to be done.  A phone call to the offended individual.  And the request, “Will you forgive me?�  The response was unforgettable:  “Yes.  100%.�

Struck with the finality of my accepted apology, I considered the forgiveness I had asked from the Lord.  God’s Word says forgiveness through Christ is guaranteed.  But how forgiven does “forgiven� mean?  Do we need to ask 70 x 7 times for every offense?  Is faultless action required from now on in order for His forgiveness to take affect?

Opening my Bible to the book of Colossians, these words leaped from the pages of chapter 1:  “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.� Colossians 1:21,22 (NKJV)

Our holy God Who is wronged numerous times by our actions and the state of our hearts knows we are often to blame and need reproof.  But Christ presents us to God with no stain on our record and no accusation against us.  We are far from being worthy of this standing, but it is ours through our union with Christ in His blameless life and perfect death in our place.

Is forgiveness through Christ final?

Yes.  100%.

Father, Thank You for this amazing truth.  May we never dishonor You by accepting our standing cheaply.  Cause our lives to grow into the likeness of our position in Your Son.  In His Name we ask. Amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/09/15/bh_100/

“The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.�
Psalm 33:11 (NKJV)

Have you ever used this reply when asked about your future plans, “Well, nothing’s set in stone�?  This is the equivalent of saying, “Not yet.  But I have some ideas.�  Or “I’ve started to make arrangements, but there’s still a lot to do.�  This statement could even mean, “I’ve made some plans, but we’ll see what happens.�  We can formulate our intentions and have a strategy, but to “set them in stone� is another story.

Often, plans being formulated by those in authority are troublesome.  Some proposals aren’t set in stone.  But they are being devised, and it seems they are headed for stone.  Our thoughts can be overwhelmed by the upsetting news reports.  But turned to the rightful Ruler of the universe, we can find this comfort:  “The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.�
(Psalm 33:10)

For centuries, man has laid down counsels.  He has mapped out intentions.  Some propositions he would have called, “set in stone.�   But history confirms that, though plans are devised and carried out, eventually they are brought to nothing.  New counsels form.  But they also come and go, are worked out and defeated.  In fact, every nation that has ever existed has been involved in this same cycle:  plans devised, carried out, eventually foiled.

If the Lord thwarts the plans of nations, defeats counsels, sets up new governments, and puts down others, what about His own intentions?  “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.� (Psalm 33:11)  When God made His plans, He set them in stone.  And that is where they have been for centuries.

Maybe that’s why Jesus said, “See that you are not troubled.� (Matthew 24:6)

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/08/03/bh_stone/

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