It's Me Again God 2

29. Thoughts

It's me again God,

I sometimes think about what it would have been like had sin not entered the world in Eden. I try to imagine generations of people who were not affected by the ongoing ravages of time and sin. There would be no news reports filled with acts of jealousy, hatred, deceit, violence, adultery, theft, war and murder. People wouldn't need to see psychologists and counsellors to help them deal with the side effects of sin because they would only have good things on their minds!

While it's nice to think through how great it would have been, it seems like any chance of living such an existence this side of heaven is impossible! The very advent of social media means that news items travel around the world with just one click and sometimes images that no one should ever have to see are broadcast over and over again. Our brains were not made for all of this so it's no wonder that there are more people who are seeking help due to an overload of negativity! To make matters worse, movies and television programs glorify all of the sinful acts of people and deliver it to us as entertainment! I wonder if anyone realises how damaging it really is?

Thank You so much for sending Jesus to take my sin! I can't imagine my life without You in it! Thank You for Your Word that points me in the right direction and gives me Good News to read everyday! I have learned that restoration is possible but living in a sinful world where many still do not know You is challenging! As I look around at the people I live near, I can feel so sad as they continue to live their lives without You.

It's interesting that the apostle Paul gives some final instructions to the early church suggesting what they should think about. This surely is what our minds were meant to be thinking about!

"Finally, brothers and sisters, 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

Okay, so how can my mind think about these things in a fallen world? I know that You are saying to me that it's a daily choice I make: what will I allow my mind to feed on today? What will I expose my eyes to as I look at my phone, magazines, newspapers or television? What kind of music will I listen to? Do I really have to watch the news every day and see and hear all the terrible things that have happened all around the world?

The things I need to think about are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy! Please help me to use this as a guide when I'm considering what to read or view today. Let me ask, will this program, movie, music, newsfeed etc help me to think this way? If it doesn't, then I need to find something that will!

Sometimes even the people I choose to spend time with bring my thoughts to a place far from excellent or praiseworthy as conversations slip into gossiping and slandering or dwelling on bad news. I need to be careful about who I keep company with! While I do need to bring the Gospel to the world, I need to remember that Your Word says:

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."
‭‭1 John‬ ‭2:15-17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Holy Spirit, guide me today so that my thoughts would be the kind of thoughts my mind was made to dwell on. May my thoughts turn to words and actions that will bring glory to the One who made me.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.