Tag: think

Ten Reasons Why

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I’m beginning a new series of posts called “Ten Reasons Why”. There will be a number of topics we’ll consider, but the first is this:

Ten reasons why you should think about God and His Kingdom.

Yes, one would suffice, but why not arm yourself with enough reasons to overcome any doubt? It just makes sense.

1. Perfect peace comes to those whose minds are fixed on God.
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isaiah 26:3 NLT)

2. It reinforces your faith’s perspective.
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2 NLT)

3. You will be led by the Spirit into life and peace.
“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” (Romans 8:5,6 NLT)

4. God, through the apostle Paul, commanded us to think on certain things.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9 ESV)

5. Everything we need is provided by God.
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33 NKJV)

6. Thinking about Him helps us act like Him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8,9 NKJV)

7. It’s a key aspect of spiritual warfare.
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV)

8. Stability and fruitfulness are its outflow.
“…but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:2-3 ESV)

9. It helps combat the sin nature.
“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” (1 Peter 4:1 ESV)

10. We’re in a much better position to hear Him speak.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26 ESV)

I’m certain that if you search the scriptures you could probably find at least one more reason to think about God. But like I said; one is sufficient.

He told us to.

Why do YOU think about God? I’d love to hear why.

What Do You Believe About Jesus?

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Have you ever heard of Jesus? Who do people say that he is?

Or was?

What have you heard?

Some have called him Elijah; others, John the Baptist.

What do you say?

I’ve heard some people refer to him as Lucifer’s brother.

Yes, and there are those who believe we evolved from monkeys.

One of the prophets, the divine light, one of many gods, and eternal guide, to name just a few other purported names and views.

His name is used in many ways depending on the user’s belief. For instance, some use the name when they are mad or upset. Others, when they need heaven’s intervention. Many like to throw it on the end of a sentence as an exclamation point! Considering how many people speak the name, for one reason or another, it must really be a powerful name.

But what you heard? What do you believe?

Some have called him the son of David, the bright and morning star, everlasting father, mighty God, and prince of peace.

Down through the ages people have had varying opinions of this one called Jesus.

Do you have an opinion?

I’ve had different opinions through the years; especially the first twenty one years of my life. I remember when he was a non-entity to me. Jesus? Never heard of him. That’s when I was ten or eleven.

My twelfth birthday rolled around and I attended a Methodist Sunday School class a few times. My opinion quickly changed from a non-person to a mystery man who wore sandals and rode donkeys while crowds threw a bunch of sticks at him. Hosanna didn’t sound like praise. It sounded more like, “Get him! Hit him with the sticks!”

I learned a lot more about Jesus, and a lot quicker, once I began hanging out with older kids. I learned Jesus had a middle name that began with the letter “F”, that he was always ready to damn something, and that he didn’t like cute girls, rock and roll, long hair on guys, cigarettes, drugs or alcohol.

Yep. I never did meet a cute girl in church.

All my teen age friends agreed with me. Jesus might have been cool when he was alive, but that was then. I was told, over and over, God is dead.

My opinion changed when I was twenty one. That’s when I met this one I thought was a non-entity. I found out he did take a beating, and that he took it for me. Oh yes, and he took one for you.

He didn’t come to curse or damn anything. Instead, he came to try and release mankind from the curse they were covered in.

Cute girls? It’s amazing what happens to a person’s eyesight after Jesus has had some time to tweak their heart.

I don’t know what you have heard, or what you believe about Jesus. But whatever it is, you will conduct your life accordingly. And wherever you finally end up, you will be there because of what you’ve believed about Jesus.

Once there was a woman with a severe bleeding problem. She had it for twelve years, and though she kept spending her money on doctors and treatments, she never got any better.

One day she heard something about Jesus. I don’t know what she knew beforehand, maybe nothing at all. But now things were different. She heard he was healing people.

And she believed. And she acted on what she believed. And her life was changed.

“She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe.”(Mark 5:27 NLT)

If you haven’t heard this yet, hear it now. Jesus loves you. He’s not willing for you to spend eternity in a hell prepared for someone else. He wants to make you a brand new person with a new mind, new language, new beliefs.

He did it for this twenty one year old; thirty nine years ago.

How about you? Isn’t it time you really considered this one called Jesus?

What you believe determines your actions. Your actions determine your destiny.

So what have you heard? What do you believe? Where are you headed?

And does that make you happy?

Persuaded? Think about it!

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Persuade – to move by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, or course of action; to plead with : urge

Think about it.

Have you ever had anyone try to persuade you to believe like them, take sides with them, agree to stand with them?

You had to think about it, didn’t you? Maybe for only a moment, but a moment none-the-less.

In order for you to be persuaded, a process of thought is necessary. Within yourself. Regardless of how many others you confer with, you make the final decision whether or not you’re actually persuaded.

You may follow the crowd, the bias of society, a particular political party or pseudo-party (for all you tea-baggers out there), or whatever. You can be a follower without being persuaded.

I “follow” different Twitter accounts, but I don’t necessarily agree with them. I “follow” people when I’m driving on the road, but that’s not an indication I’m persuaded they are leading me where I want or need to go.

People “follow” while it’s convenient, easy, affordable, and popular. But when following becomes costly and unpopular, belief trumps ease. Understand this; belief is only part of being persuaded. Belief that has passed the test of argument, study of the facts, has considered the ramifications if something is truth or error…that belief morphs into “persuaded”.

Think about it.

Heaven is for people who are persuaded Jesus is the only way to eternal life! Like I said, belief tested becomes “persuaded”.

Paul said in Romans 8:38, “I am persuaded…nothing can separate me from His love.” He told Timothy, “I am persuaded He able to keep (guard) what I’ve committed to Him…” He wrote to the Corinthians, “knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” And King Agrippa responded to Paul’s testimony, “you almost persuade me…”

Abraham said to the rich man, “if people won’t believe what Moses said, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.”

When Abraham was told by God he would become the father of a multitude, he “hoped against hope…and was FULLY persuaded what God had promised He was able to perform.”

Life itself requires you and I to be persuaded about many things.

Think about it.

Will you do yourself a favor? Think about what you believe. Why do you believe it? Have you REALLY investigated the claims you believe to be truth? Or, are you following an idea because your peers say it’s true? Because it’s what you’ve always believed? What has persuaded you? How much research and “arguing” of the facts have you done?

Have you allowed your beliefs to be challenged, tested? Are you scared to investigate God’s claims? What are you afraid of?

Think about it. And don’t quit thinking until you are persuaded.

Fully persuaded.

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