The great thing about God is He does not need to be our only joy in life. God made us complex human beings with dreams, wants, desires and passions and He loves to watch us discover them. God created each and every one of us by a unique design with unique ideas so that we would each serve a unique purpose and position on earth. Every life is different, therefore, every Christian is different. There is no mold to be filled every time someone is saved. God wants us to serve Him and His people in the way He created us. He does not want us to live our lives with the mindset of "should". I should read more. I should talk more. I should teach a class. I should stay at this job, it pays more. I should follow my parent's wishes for my life. Should will not bring us joy. Should will not fill our hunger. Should will not stir our passions. "Should simply does not have the power to get you there."
Just as God does not need to be our only joy, He has provided many different options to find joy. Paul writes in Philippians 4 "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." The key word in this passage is whatever. WHATEVER. We shared last week in class in which we find our joy. There were many diferent responses, such as smelling the fresh air on a front porch, watching a kid "get it" for the first time, singing as loud as you possibly can in your car or watching a loved one smile. But a lot of times we don't realize that these joys "count" as time with God. These joys "count" as opening up your mind to the flow of the Holy Spirit. How many times have we read this passage from Philippians and never realized the importance or true meaning of the word "whatever"? I know I've done it a hundred times. But how refreshing is that?! WHATEVER we find pure, WHATEVER we find lovely, WHATEVER we find admiralbe....if we think on such things we can open our minds to the Flow.
So how do we think on such things? Most of our world, (enitrely and personally) is filled with anger, hate, negativity, gossip, lies and ill-doings. Because of this it tends to be easier to say "Think Great Thoughts" rather than actually think great thoughts. One of the easiest ways to habitually think great thoughts is to dive into Scripture. Eugene Peterson writes, "Christians feed on Scripture. Holy Scripture nurtures the holy community as food nurtures the human body. Christians don't simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love." This does not mean we have to spend hours everyday reading the Bible. God is just as powerful using one verse to change a life as He is using an entire passage. Unfortunately, most Christians, most people really, find the Bible boring or mundane. So Ortberg gives us some pointers on how to read the Bible in way that keeps us interested and allows us to absorb more than we might have before. (Read Chapter 9 pages 106-113, very helpful hints!!!) (Audio Bibles are great aids too, especially if you learn by hearing)
Paul also writes in Colossians 3, "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things." Sounds easy right? There is a way to do this! Whenever you find yourself thinking negatively you must reset your mind and create a new pattern. A positive pattern of thought. Did you know if you have been thinking evil things for a long period of time, your mind will eventually habitually go there without you even realizing it? Luckily, the flow of the Holy Spirit is always available. Ortberg suggests, if you're having trouble thinking great thoughts, try practicing them first. "If you practice love and hope and peace, you will soon think of love, and hope and peace."
God does not make mistakes. He made you and found you good. He has made you excellent and wants you to think in excellence. He longs to help you strive for excellence. And the wonderful thing is you can do this at any moment. He [the flow of the Holy Spirit] is always available to tap into. Feed your minds with excellence and you will be excellent.
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