If there is one thing we all need to realize, it is to Master our thoughts — Master our lives.

The progression:

Our thought life will determine our future. Thoughts become words — words become actions — actions become habits — our habits determine our future. It all begins with our thought life. Change that and we change our lives.

The pondering:

We have to think about what we think about. Are you negative all the time? Do you worry all the time? Are you consumed with material possessions? Or are you positive and peaceful? Do you think about making an eternal difference? When you give, desire to help others, especially to know Christ. Are your thought habits working against you? If they are, the good news is you can do something about it by thinking about what you think about.

The power:

Romans 12:2 — Don’t copy the behavior and customs of the world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. We can change what we think about, which turns into words we say, then our actions.

Let’s put a guard on our thought life and begin to think about whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and good; then we will see noticeable changes in our lives.

Just a thought,

PSS

Life is all about sowing and reaping — planting seeds and harvesting them.

Sowing discord:

We ought to be very careful about the seeds we sow in this life. If we sow seeds of strife, that’s what we will reap in our own lives if we continue on a regular basis to sow seeds of strife. If we sow gossip: gossip about others, repeat things we have heard without knowing if they are true, it will cause us to receive only the same thing. I have found people who talk about others can’t handle it when others talk about them.

Sowing kindness:

If we sow kindness, we will reap kindness back into our lives. I am always conscious of the things I sow. I purpose to be kind and forgiving of others. Why? Firstly, because it’s the right way to treat others and live. Secondly, because I never know when I will need someone’s kindness and forgiveness. It’s what we sow or plant habitually that we will reap habitually.

The power of the tongue:

How do you talk to others? Do you demean with your words or encourage with them? The Bible teaches us that death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21a). So, are you sowing death or life? Be generous with your words, don’t gossip, don’t rejoice (or should I say gloat?) when bad things happen to others.

Let’s make sure the things we are habitually sowing in life are what we want to habitually reap in our lives.

Just a thought,

PSS

It is the time of year when we will be celebrating Thanksgiving — a time to be thankful for this country that God has given us to live in, a country where we are still free to worship the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a time to reflect on what we have.

Learning to be thankful:

We need to learn to relish what we have rather than resent what we are missing. If you have health, be thankful for that. Be thankful for family, a job, a roof over your head, heat for the winter, etc. We need to learn to be thankful even for the littlest things in our lives, thankful for true friendships because they are hard to come by.

Complaining:

It’s easy to be a complainer, to complain about what is wrong in our lives, to find fault with this life, to feel somehow we’ve have been left out or life isn’t fair. All that only works to make us bitter and ungrateful. It will make us miserable. When we decide to relish, be thankful for, what we have and not worry about what we think we are missing, it will lead to peace of mind, a more grateful spirit or attitude — one that will cause us to be happier in and with life.

Nobody is perfect: others aren’t; you aren’t. So let’s meditate on the things we can be thankful about. It will change our perspective on the gift of life God Himself has given us.

Just a thought,

PSS

Each day in South Africa, the gazelles and the lions awake — the gazelles knowing they must outrun the fastest lion to survive, and the lions knowing they must run faster than the slowest gazelles or they will starve to death. It makes no difference if you are a gazelle or a lion. When the sun comes up, you had better be running.

Seek first:

When we awake, whether we go to work or perhaps are a stay-at-home parent, we should all get up ready for the day. Psalm 119:147 says, I rise up early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your word. We need to get up every morning running to the Lord — even if it is only five minutes we spend with Him. We need to rise and make an appointment with God to: 1) read His word, 2) pray for God’s guidance throughout our day, and 3) get up and acknowledge Him in our lives and believe He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:6). That’s how as Christians we can wake up running each and every day — getting up spending at least the first five minutes of our day with Him.

It has been said if you are going to have a creative-type meeting at your work, you should have it in the morning. People are fresh and tend to be more creative then. I believe getting up a few minutes early every day to read and pray will cause us to start our day running.

Just a thought,

PSS

Self-esteem:

Self-esteem is about what — and whom — we identify with. It’s about how we feel about ourselves, and not what others think about us. Self-esteem is defined as a belief in oneself, or self-respect. Another definition says it is proper respect for oneself and one’s worth as a person.

Self-perception:

How we view ourselves is important, and it will determine how we treat others as well. We are taught that we shouldn’t think too highly of ourselves, and we definitely don’t want to become conceited; but, on the other hand, we don’t want to demean ourselves to the point of self-loathing, either. We need to see ourselves as God’s creation — fearfully and wonderfully made.

Self-improvement:

We will make mistakes, but it’s healthy for us to like ourselves. We’re not perfect, and still need to work on things; but we shouldn’t allow the actions and speech of others to blind us to our own value and worth. Self-esteem is about how we view ourselves, so let’s begin to see ourselves in a better light, and not worry about our shortcomings — work on them, and acknowledge that we were created to be incredible!

Just a thought,

PSS