Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – January 9, 2017
Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. Hebrews 3:1
Our grandsons have a peaceful bedtime ritual: their prayers include a request for good dreams void of bad dreams. In their childlike thinking they want their minds to be full of the goodness of God, not the unpleasant fears of what bad dreams might foretell. Good dreams allow them to rest well with the peace of Christ protecting their vulnerable, but trusting little hearts. Their childlike faith challenges me to convert my adult “over thinking” to a simple, humble focus on Jesus thoughts!
From time to time I get stuck in the crazy cycle of over thinking an issue or a person: am I enough for those who need me, will others think less of me if I call in sick at work or will a person still like and respect me if they know about my past failures? Over thinking is a less emotional form of worry, wrapped around a logical thought process. When I catch myself ruminating over “why me” or “what if”—it’s time for me to repent of distrust and refocus my thinking on Jesus, trusting Him with situations and people out of my control. When I choose to live in the present in place of fearing the future—I am positioned to receive God’s gift of peace.
“The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
In Christ, we are holy—set apart for the Lord’s purposes—children of God, with a heavenly calling to carry the gospel to all the earth. Jesus is the first apostle sent by His Father to be our high priest, offering Himself as the ultimate sinless sacrifice between sinful mankind and Almighty God. We focus on the One who not only forgives our sins, but who keeps us from sin and sets us free from false imaginations and subtle lies. Jesus thinking replaces stinking thinking!
What does it mean to fix our thoughts on Jesus? When we focus our thoughts on Jesus we receive His perfect love into our imperfect life—so we are able to freely love others in His name. Where we focus our thoughts, energies and emotions is what/who we eventually become. Reflect on our lovely Lord and our life grows lovely, meditate on our Master’s mercy and we are more merciful, refresh our minds with rest and we refresh others, recall our lively hope in Christ and we are emissaries of hope. We think about Jesus as truth incarnate and He gives us wisdom: on ways to love, courage to obey, faith to persevere, humility to forgive and insight for living!
“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).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, by grace I desire my thoughts to stay in tune with trust in Jesus.Application
What daily routine can help me renew my mind around the mind of Christ?Related Reading
Isaiah 2:11-12, 40:13; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Romans 11:34; Hebrews 2:1Post/Tweet today
Where we focus our thoughts, energies and emotions is what/who we eventually become. #WisdomHunters #JesusthinkingWorship Resource
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