“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!”
Psalm 97:12 (ESV)
A lifestyle of complaining causes people to make stupid decisions. A man who robbed a Wendy’s in Atlanta was so put off by his skimpy haul that he called the restaurant twice to complain. That’s better than what police say Arthur Bundrage did. Bundrage approached a Syracuse, New York, bank teller and demanded $20,000. When he got home, he discovered he’d been shortchanged. Outraged, he stormed back to the bank to tell them what he thought of their service. That’s when he was arrested.
Our thoughts determine our decisions. How we think determines how grateful we are. Grateful people think differently than most.
Christians are encouraged to give thanks to God. Let’s make this very practical. Yesterday, my kids and I were praying on our knees. We started with prayers of gratitude.
We had to stop and really think about what we were thankful for. It took us a little while but then, we couldn’t stop. The minute a thought came to our heads, we spoke. “God, thank you for this home you gave us.” One year ago, our other home flooded. Finding homes in our area to fit our needs was challenging.
God in His mercy, gave us this home a year ago. It felt perfect the day we moved in. We have been grateful. We haven’t verbalized it as much as we should so we did. Other things came to mind. Family, friends, and church. Health and recovery from COVID-19.
When we got up from our knees, the kids said “that was really nice.”
My encouragement for you and me is to take the time to think:
• Encouragement, not control;
• Investing, not wasting;
• Possibilities, not problems.
Friend, you are moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts. Your day is always moving in the direction of your thoughts. If you find yourself complaining, change your thoughts. Think as God would want you to think. Turn those complaints into Godly petitions.
The results of our actions can be traced by the strongest thoughts we think. Are you okay with your thoughts?
Prayer: God who made the mind, take control of my thoughts. Cleanse my mind so it can please you. May the meditation of my heart be pleasing unto you. Remind me to feed my mind with your words daily. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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