| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “The end of anxiety and despair” Our Bible verse for today: “Finally brothers and sisters, 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 anything praiseworthy – dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Reject that which drains you” I once read a statement which really resonated with me at the time, and which I’ve hung onto ever since. It said, “Reject that which drains you; embrace that which renews you.” That sounds like good advice. I’m going to do it. Anxiety and despair drain me. So, I reject it. Negative people drain me. So, I reject their negativity, and if it persists, I reject them by allowing them little or no room in my life. Endless political debates drain me. So, I choose not to engage in them. Negative thinking drains me. So, I try to stay positive. What renews me? The Lord. He renews me. So, I engage in what Eugene Peterson once called, “A long obedience in the same direction.” That means intentionally filling my life with lots of prayer, Bible study, worship, Christian music, reading good Christian books, and enjoyable fellowship with other positive Christians. The Bible tells me I need to do those things, every day, just in order to stay spiritually healthy. And so, I make it a point to do them, every day, even if I don’t feel like it. It’s a long obedience in the same direction. It’s a discipline and a habit. I do it because the Lord tells me I need to. By sharing that with you I’m not trying to portray myself as some sort of super-saint, because I most certainly am not. I’m simply sharing with you what has been taught to me, and which I’ve found to be helpful in my own life. There’s a lot of negative in our world, and it will drain you if you let it. But there’s also a lot of positive too, and it will renew you if you will embrace it. Each of us can exercise control over our own environment and we can choose the influences we allow into our lives. What Paul described in Philippians 4:8 is a choice that is made by the individual about what we will allow into our mind and heart and what we will not. To a very large great extent we can control our personal environment. I encourage you to reject that which drains you and embrace that which renews you. Doing so will go a long way towards bringing an end to anxiety and despair in your life. God bless, Pastor Jim |
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