Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Balance”
Our Bible verse for today: “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise, dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Control your thoughts and emotions.”
Dr. Gary Habermas is a Christian and he is the Chairman of the Department of Philosophy at Liberty University. In a research paper on the importance of exercising positive control over our thoughts and emotions Dr. Habermas wrote:
“The most painful things in life are not generally what occurs to us but what we think and articulate to ourselves about those occurrences. Thus, it is not so much the events in our lives but rather how we download and respond to them that determine whether we are able to adjust and live peacefully, with minimal pain and stress.”
He was writing about the old truism “You may not have control over everything that happens to you, but you do have control over how you respond to what happens to you.” In other words, how we allow ourselves to think about things, and what our emotional response to them is, determines what we will say and do with respect to that occurrence, as well as how we will remember it and how we will continue to think about it.
We are responsible for our thoughts and emotions and we can control them. This is critical because if your thoughts are wrong and if your emotions are unstable, your response to people and situations will be flawed. It also will not be helpful and it will not be in your own best interest. You will say things you shouldn’t say, you will make decisions you will regret, and you will take actions that produce consequences you really didn’t want. If you allow yourself to respond based upon emotion rather than reason, you are headed for trouble. And if that is your normal way of thinking and responding, yours will be a life of continual conflict, heartache, and disappointments.
Paul’s point in Philippians 4:8 (confirmed by the research of Dr. Habermas and many others) is that we can learn to control our thoughts and our emotions – and we must.
A balanced person is mentally rational and emotionally stable.
I encourage you to ask God to help you to honestly assess yourself in this area of thoughts, perceptions, and emotions, and then invite Him to bring about any needed changes in your mental and emotional life.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 