THINK
ON THESE
BREAD
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is
noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set
your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set
your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For
you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When
Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV)
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we
are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For
our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far
outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is
unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)
6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. 7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. 8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalms 63:6-8 (NIV)
14 He
cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the
trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. 15 It
is man’s fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a
fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an
idol and bows down to it. 16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he
prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself
and says, “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.” 17 From
the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to
it and says, “Save me; you are my god.” 18 They
know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they
cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. 19 No
one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of
it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I
ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a
block of wood?” 20 He
feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, “Is
not this thing in my right hand a lie?”
Isaiah 44:14-20 (NIV)
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able
to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 (NIV)
18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he
is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may
become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s
sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and
again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 (NIV)
1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I
have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 Peter 3:1 (NIV)
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more
and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so
that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless
until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes
through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)
BUTTER
“He
that rides to be crowned will not think much of a rainy day.” John
Trapp
“Do not think of the faults of others but
of what is good in them and faulty in yourself.” Teresa
of Avila
“We
are justified if we have accepted Christ as Savior. But communion with God requires continual
bowing in both the intellect and the will.
Without bowing in the intellect, in thinking after God; without acting
upon the finished work of Christ in my present life; and without bowing in the
will in practice, as the waves of the present life break over me, there is no
sufficient communion with God. Without
these things I am not in my place as the creature in a fallen and abnormal
world. These three things are absolutely
necessary if there is to be real and sufficient communion with God in the
present life.” Francis
Schaeffer
“Which aspects of your thoughts,
priorities and actions declare that you exist for God’s service and glory?” Francis Chan
“If the
decision about the lot is the Lord's, whose is the arrangement of our whole
life? If the simple casting of a lot is guided by Him, how much more the events
of our entire life--especially when we are told by our blessed Savior, ‘Even
the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more
value than many sparrows.’ It would bring a holy calm over your mind, dear
friend, if you were to constantly remember this. It would relieve your mind
from anxiety and enable you to walk in patience, quietness, and cheerfulness as
a Christian should. When a man is anxious he cannot pray with faith; when he is
troubled about the world, he cannot serve his Master, for his thoughts are
serving himself. If you would ‘seek
first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,’ all things would then be added
to you. You are meddling with Christ's business and neglecting your own when
you fret about your lot and circumstances. You have been trying to do the
providing and forgetting to do the obeying. Be wise
and pay attention to the obeying, and let Christ manage the providing. Come and
survey your Father's storehouse, and ask whether He will allow you to starve
while He has so great an abundance in store.
Look at His heart of mercy; see if that can ever prove unkind! Look at
His unsearchable wisdom; see if that will ever be at fault. Above all, look to
Jesus Christ your Intercessor, and ask yourself, while He pleads, can your
Father deal ungraciously with you? If He remembers even sparrows, will He forget
one of the least of His poor children? ‘Cast your burden on the LORD, and he
will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.’” C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg
“If the Word does not dwell with power in us, it will
not pass with power from us.” John Owen
“Divine omniscience provides no
comfort to the ungodly mind, but to the child of God it overflows with
consolation. God is always thinking about us, never turns His mind from us,
always has us before His eyes; and this is precisely how we would want it,
because it would be dreadful to exist for a moment outside the observation of
our heavenly Father. His thoughts are always tender, loving, wise, prudent,
far-reaching, and they bring countless benefits to us: It is consequently a
supreme delight to remember them.” C. H.
Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg
HEART SAVOR
·
Our actions always begin in our
thoughts. As you think, so shall you go.
·
Dwell on what is true, noble,
right, pure, lovely, admirable – all that is excellent and praiseworthy. This will both delight your soul and elevate
your actions.
·
God’s thoughts are ever on us and
for us. Our thoughts are to be on and for Him as well. When we seek to do His will for His glory we
will find all the other “littles” of our lives being taken care of. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the
Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose
walk is blameless.” Psalms 84:11
