Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Healthy Living”
Our Bible verse for today: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Being thankful is good for you.”
“Here’s a little song I wrote, you might want to sing it note for note; don’t worry, be happy. In every life we have some trouble, when you worry you make it double; don’t worry, be happy …”
That of course, is the opening stanza to Bobby McFerrin’s great little song “Don’t worry, be happy”. (You were probably bobbing your head and singing along, right? Ooh ooh ooh ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh ….)
In church we sometimes sing a song that’s a slightly different take on that same theme, it’s called “Count your blessings” (name them one by one, count your blessings see what God has done …)
The point in both songs is that we’re to focus on the positive rather than on the negative. Yes life brings with it lots of problems and struggles, but it is also filled with lots of blessings and happiness. Way too often we tend to dwell on the bad and what’s wrong rather than giving thanks for what’s good and right. But dwelling on the negative is bad for us. It actually affects our health in a negative way.
As Rick Warren notes in his book, “The Daniel Plan”, “Every time you have a thought, your brain releases chemicals. Negative, angry, and hopeless thoughts produce negative chemicals that make your body and mind feel bad; by contrast, positive, happy, and hopeful thoughts produce a completely different set of chemicals that help you feel relaxed, happy, and in control of your impulses.”
He goes on, “Modern medical research reveals that when you consistently focus on your blessings and what you are grateful for each day, it has positive effects on your physical and mental health.”
I encourage you today to count your blessings; stay focused on the good and positive. You’ll feel a lot better if you do.
God bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 