March 05, 2018
Where do you put your thoughts each day? It is a choice, of course. God would not have commanded you to ""set your mind on things above"" (Col 3), or ""Whatever is good, pure ... think on these things"" if we could not do it.
Here's what the Psalmist thought about and what it did to him:
Psalm 48:9-11: We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of Your temple. As is Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion be glad, let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of Your judgments.
LOVINGKINDNESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
The Psalmist thought on God's ""lovingkindness."" Think of this combination word. God is both loving and kind. Imagine the most loving, kind person you know. Then multiply that by infinity.
The world and the devil, of course, are painting the exact opposite picture to try to keep us at arm's length from God (so we will not draw near nor be effective). The enemy's constant whisper is that God is hateful and cruel. But when you honestly, deeply think on God, through the lens of what He has proven Himself to be, you will see He is exactly the opposite.
His ""right hand if full of righteousness,"" i.e., He is completely and utterly right in all His judgments and actions. And, if you let Him rule in your life, you will experience this to be true.
GLADNESS AND JOY
When you think on God and discover who He is, your heart will be glad and you will find yourself rejoicing. And, you will find Him to be Your greatest delight and the highest privilege will be to know Him and follow Him.
This is faith, by the way. The Israelites, when smitten with disease brought on by their sin, were advised to merely gaze upon the serpent on the pole (a picture of the Christ victorious over the Evil One) and they would be healed. Their gaze toward Him was faith that He would deliver. Our constant gaze does the same.
And when you gaze in faith, and respond to His leadership, you will find Him utterly faithful. And, each passing day will only increase this belief.
Why? The Psalmist saw it: ""For such is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us until death"" (verse 14)
Father, deliver me today from lesser thoughts. From a mind set on things of this world. Lift my gaze to the heavens all day long. May I see Your matchless beauty today and, in that vision, rest. Thank you for Your lovingkindness. And thank You that, the more I see You, the more I sink into Your faithful arms and am at peace in Your eternal guidance.
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