Month: August 2019

“Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders  to stimulate you to wholesome thinking” (2 Peter 3:1).

Wholesome thinking! Peter told his readers exactly why he’d written two letters to them. He wanted to stimulate them to wholesome thinking. Those words popped off the page as I read them recently. I, for one, don’t spend much time thinking about my thinking. Peter reminded me wholesome thinking is important. Our words and actions come from our thinking.

Jesus told His listeners that evil deeds begin with evil thoughts. (See Mark 7:20-23) The Apostle Paul told the Philippians (and us) how we should think.

     “Finally, brothers, 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.

Wholesome thinking includes all of these: things that are true, noble, right, pure, etc. So when I begin to think about things that make me wallow in self-pity or make me angry and frustrated, or are sinful and immoral I must train my mind to move on to that which is wholesome. I can’t stop thoughts from entering my mind but I can choose to think about something else.

Maybe self-pity becomes thoughts of the lovely things around me or the pure and noble friends in my life.  Perhaps those thoughts would move me to think and do something for others rather than dwelling on “poor me.”

Thinking of things that make me angry and frustrated might motivate me to think about ways to solve the problem or if it’s out of my control, to give it to God. Prayer is a powerful way to move our thoughts from unwholesome to wholesome. God is holy and almighty. He can be trusted even with our thoughts.

King David asked God to “create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). David’s impure thoughts led him to immoral behavior when he took another man’s wife. He knew God was the only One who could create a pure heart in place of his impure heart.

Dear God, please clean my thinking today. Help my mind not to dwell in places of unwholesome thinking. Renew my mind to the wholesomeness you desire. Then I can be useful as Your servant, obeying and honoring You. Amen

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“My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

The phrase “cover over a multitude of sins” shows up in the books of James and 1 Peter. I read both books recently and wondered just what those writers meant when they penned those words. I know it is the blood of Jesus on the cross that covers our sins so there must be a different meaning here.

One commentator says that “covering sin” is a metaphor for forgiveness and that makes sense, especially in light of Romans 4:7, which refers back to Psalm 32:1. “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” God forgives sin but we are also commanded to forgive others.

James ends his book by saying if one brings back another who has wandered from the truth he “will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”

Many today have wandered from the truth or at least compromised it. Truth doesn’t seem to be as important as selfish desires. But I find it difficult to know how to bring someone back to the truth. I know prayer is a must and it seems I would need to be alert for conversation opportunities. This is my struggle but mostly it’s a prayer struggle- asking God to open someone’s eyes to the error of their way or to put someone in that person’s life that lives the truth.  And as Peter says, it requires a deep love for that person. Then, I  ask myself, “Am I living in the truth?” (There’s that speck of sawdust and plank thing Jesus warned us about in Matthew 7.)

I don’t have an answer for my struggle, but I’m trusting God to work through me, helping me to love, even when it’s hard; and to pray, even when I’m not sure how to pray. Truth is found in the Bible and must not be neglected. Salvation comes from the One who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”  Love one another deeply. This is only possible through Jesus.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us and loving others through us! Thank you for covering our sins.

I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains (Psalm 121:1-2 MSG)

The Apostle Peter encouraged me while reading 1 Peter 4:11. “If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.”

I don’t have to do life in my own strength! And that’s good because I have very little.

When my body yearns for a nap my strength comes from God. When my patience runs thin my strength comes from God. When the tapping of the cane has tackled my last nerve my help comes from God. When my computer refuses to turn on my help comes from God. When my landline phone hasn’t worked for two weeks my strength comes from God. When . . . I look at the mountains and hills and remember God created it all. If He can do that He can carry me through whatever comes my way.

Praise be to God!