Colossians 3:2

Are You a Tommy or David?
05/26/2023
Standing in the checkout line, I noticed the child from the corner of my eye. You couldn’t help but notice. He was throwing a temper tantrum. “I want it!” he wailed at the top of his lungs.  The bedraggled mother tried her best to wrestle the package of M & Ms from his hands while apologizing to the cashier. She didn’t dare look at the customers in line behind her. Tommy “wanted” the M & M’s. That was clear. But his mother knew full well that her child wasn’t “lacking” for food. His temper tantrum wasn’t unfamiliar to me. Although I don’t like to admit it, sometimes I can be like Tommy. When I get my mind around what I think I want and I don’t get it, I may complain. I may whine in my spirit.  What makes me different from Tommy? Height and weight. There’s something else, though, that can and should make believers different from Tommy.  The renowned shepherd, David, points us to the key to being calm and trusting God rather than demanding and complaining.  “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”  Psalm 23:1 David grasped something I sometimes forget. There’s a difference between what I “want” and what I “lack.” Psalm 23:1 is best interpreted,
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack for nothing.
In other words, David was aware that the Lord was watching over him, leading him, and protecting him. He was mindful of his Shepherd’s provision.  If there are times you focus more on what you want rather than on God’s provision and you want to develop a more grateful attitude, consider journaling what you are grateful for every day in  Prayers of My Heart prayer journal.  Why? It will help you.  7 Benefits of Journaling.  Begin today looking more like Christ and less like Tommy.

Jehovah-Ra-ah, thank You for being our Shepherd. In You, we lack for nothing.

Prayers of My Heart HERE.

 

 

 

 

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Are You a Tommy or David?
06/05/2021
Standing in the checkout line, I noticed the child from the corner of my eye. You couldn’t help but notice. He was throwing a temper tantrum. “I want it!” he wailed at the top of his lungs.  The bedraggled mother tried her best to wrestle the package of M & Ms from his hands while apologizing to the cashier. She didn’t dare look at the customers in line behind her. Tommy “wanted” the M & M’s. That was clear. But his mother knew full well that her child wasn’t “lacking” for food. His temper tantrum wasn’t unfamiliar to me. Although I don’t like to admit it, sometimes I can be like Tommy. When I get my mind around what I think I want and I don’t get it, I may complain. I may whine in my spirit.  What makes me different from Tommy? Height and weight. There’s something else, though, that can and should make believers different from Tommy.  The renowned shepherd, David, points us to the key to being calm and trusting God rather than demanding and complaining.  “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”  Psalm 23:1 David grasped something I sometimes forget. There’s a difference between what I “want” and what I “lack.” Psalm 23:1 is best interpreted,
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack for nothing.
In other words, David was aware that the Lord was watching over him, leading him, and protecting him. He was mindful of his Shepherd’s provision.  If there are times you focus more on what you want rather than on God’s provision  and you want to develop a more grateful attitude, consider journaling what you are grateful for every day in  Prayers of My Heart prayer journal.  Why? It will help you.  7 Benefits of Journaling.  Begin today looking more like Christ and less like Tommy.

Jehovah-Ra-ah, thank You for being our Shepherd. In You, we lack for nothing.

Prayers of My Heart HERE.

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How to Ditch the Maddening Negative Thoughts
11/28/2020

They pop up. Into our mind. We don’t sit around and try to drum them up. What? Negative thoughts. They sprout like the uninvited weeds in my garden. Among all the beautiful lettuce, spinach, and kale, those pesky weeds poke through the rich soil. I can ignore them, which I’m prone to do. But the fact is, they don’t belong in my garden. I didn’t plant them. I don’t want them. And if I want them out, I’m going to have do something to remove them. It requires time, focus, and energy. The same is true with the negative thoughts that sprout in our minds. We can be going our merry way, rejoicing in the day God has given us, and then up sprouts a negative thought. It doesn’t matter where it came from…the devil, another person, or the deep recesses of our mind.  The fact is, the negative thought is there. Whose responsibility is it to tend to the garden of our mind? Ours. God charged Adam and Eve with the instruction to “Keep the garden” He had given them. He instructs us to set our mind on the things above (Colossians 3:2) and to keep our minds on Him. (Isaiah 26:3) “Keep” means to guard and watch over. So, tip one for ditching negative thoughts is to pay attention to our thoughts. Examine them as I examine my garden. Second, when we have a negative thought, uproot it. Take it to God. Is it true? Is it an honorable thought? Is it even right or have we embellished or imagined it? Is it a pure thought? Is it a lovely thought? Is it a thought of good repute? If not, ditch it. Till thoughts that are excellent. Cultivate thoughts that are worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8) So, after examining our thoughts, ditch or dwell. Ditch the negative. They make us ugly. (“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he,” Proverbs 23:7) Dwell on the lovely. They make us reflective of Christ.

Lord Jesus, You are beautiful and we want to reflect Your beauty. Help us examine our thoughts and ditch the negative and dwell on the lovely.  

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Are You Like Tommy or David?
06/01/2020
Standing in the grocery store check out line, I noticed the child from the corner of my eye. You couldn’t help but notice. He was throwing a temper tantrum. “I want it!” he wailed at the top of his lungs.  The bedraggled mother tried her best to wrestle the package of M & Ms from his hands while struggling at the same time to apologize to the cashier. She didn’t dare look at the customers in line behind her. Tommy “wanted” the M & M’s. That was clear. But, his mother knew full well that her child wasn’t “lacking” for food. His temper tantrum wasn’t unfamiliar to me. Although I don’t like to admit it, I’m a lot like Tommy. I may not lay on the floor and kick and scream. But when I get my mind around what I want and I don’t get it, I may complain. I may whine in my spirit.  What makes me different from Tommy? Height and weight. There’s something else, though, that can and should make believers different from Tommy.  The renown shepherd, David, points us to the key to being calm and trusting rather than demanding and complaining.  “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”  Psalm 23:1 David had grasped something I sometimes forget. There’s a difference between what I “want” and what I “lack.” Psalm 23:1 is best interpreted, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack for nothing.” In other words, David was keenly aware that the Lord was watching over him, leading him, and protecting him. He was mindful of his Shepherd’s provision.  If there are more times you focus on what you want rather than on God’s provision and you want to develop more of an attitude of gratitude, join me in daily journaling your gratitudes in  Prayers of My Heart prayer journal.  Discover the  7 Benefits of Journaling.  Our Heavenly Father wants us to grow closer to the image of Christ and less like Tommy. Will you begin today?

Jehovah-Ra-ah, we praise You, our Shepherd. In You, we lack for nothing. May we set our minds on the things above according to Your Word.  Get Prayers of My Heart HERE.

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Are You Like Tommy or David?
06/22/2019
Standing in the grocery store check out line, I noticed the child from the corner of my eye. You couldn’t help but notice. He was throwing a temper tantrum. “I want it!” he wailed at the top of his lungs.  The bedraggled mother tried her best to wrestle the package of M & Ms from his hands, while struggling at the same time to apologize to the cashier. She didn’t dare look at the customers in line behind her. Tommy “wanted” the M & M’s. That was clear. But, his mother knew full well that her child wasn’t “lacking” for food. His temper tantrum wasn’t unfamiliar to me. Although I don’t like to admit it, I’m a lot like Tommy. I may not lay on the floor and kick and scream. But when I get my mind around what I want and I don’t get it, I’m rather like him. I may complain. I may whine in my spirit.  What makes me different from Tommy? Height and weight. There’s something else, though, that can and should make believers different from Tommy.  The renown shepherd, David, points us to the key to being calm and trusting rather than demanding and complaining.  “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”  Psalm 23:1 David had a grasp on something I sometimes forget. There’s a difference between what I “want” and what I “lack.” Psalm 23:1 is best interpreted, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack for nothing.” In other words, David was keenly award that the Lord was watching over him, leading him, and protecting him. He was mindful of his Shepherd’s provision.  If there are more times you focus on what you want rather than on God’s provision and you want to develop more of an attitude of gratitude, join me in daily journaling your gratitudes in  Prayers of My Heart prayer journal.  Discover the  7 Benefits of Journaling.  Our Heavenly Father wants us to grow closer to the image of Christ and less like Tommy. Will you begin today?

Jehovah-Ra-ah, we praise You, our Shepherd. In You we lack for nothing. May we set our minds on the things above according to Your Word.  Order Prayers of My Heart HERE.

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I AM HEAVENLY MINDED
04/18/2014

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

Colossians 3:2

What are you thinking? Has anyone ever asked you that? It’s a good question. Are our thoughts anxious? Are they negative? Or, are they rejoicing on the things above and God’s goodness? This is the second time in two verses that we’re directed to “things above.” Above here means “on high.” Paul explains that, since we’ve been crucified with Christ, we should continuously think on Christ and our higher calling in Him. This doesn’t mean that we ignore our earthly responsibilities. However, it does mean that we take proactive measures to think on and absorb Christ’s perspective, love, and power over earth’s values, emptiness, and weakness. How do we do this? It’s a choice. To set means “to direct one’s mind to a thing.” Every day when we wake, we set our minds on the things above by directing our thoughts to God in prayer. We set our minds on the things above by reading the Bible. We set our minds on that which is outlined in Philippians 4:8. Gravity may pull our feet to earth, but God calls us to set our minds on the things above.

Heavenly Father, help me set my mind on the things above. May I be increasingly heavenly minded rather than earthly minded. 

From If God in In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case?

NAS Bible Verses, Bible Gateway, #bgbg2

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