“But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”
1Thessalonians 5:21-22 NASB
I have always loved cinnamon toast. You know, butter smeared on a slice of bread and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. Toasted until hot and bubbly. Savor the goodness! Yum, yum!
Four years ago my husband and I made a drastic change in our eating habits due to some health issues. Eliminating refined sugar as often as possible from our diet became a top priority. So, I bid a sad farewell to my beloved cinnamon toast. However, over time I began experimenting with substituting raw honey for the refined sugar. Once again, I am enjoying my cinnamon toast and benefitting from the goodness of the healthier ingredients.
Ok, enough of the health lesson . . . BUT THERE IS A SPIRITUAL APPLICATION HERE. You see, we are faced with decisions and choices every day. Harmful habits pop up and temptations come our way. It is up to us to observe and change the actions and words that aren’t pleasing to God or good for us.
Do you have a habit of saying unkind things about others because of petty reasons? Try replacing the damaging words with something positive about the person. If you can think of nothing good to say, then hold your tongue and whisper a prayer for them instead.
Do you find it hard to spend time with God on a regular basis? Maybe some of your time texting, face-booking, twittering, enjoying a hobby, etc. could be used instead for alone time with Him.
Do you struggle with road rage? (ouch!) Next time the urge comes to rant and rave over someone’s careless driving, why not bless them in the name of the Lord? I said bless them, not bless them out J You really have no clue what they are going through or what’s on their minds. They may desperately need the Lord, so take the opportunity to pray for them.
Whether it’s cinnamon toast or _______________ (you fill in the blank), we can either ignore the warnings and suffer the consequences, or pursue better options that yield fruitful rewards. It’s up to each one of us. It’s our choice. Let’s choose to look for what is really good, cling to it, and steer clear of the evil.
[Digging deeper – Romans 12:9, 21; Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 4:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:15; James 4:17; 1 Peter 3:8-9]
Signature: Enjoying good choices,
Beverly <><
In Luke, we are given a small glimpse of the wonder these disciples must have felt when they reported back to Jesus. The Lord clearly exceeded their expectations, and they joyfully testified about the amazing things they had experienced. As we go through out our day, let’s make sure not to put God in a box and place a limit on our expectations of all God has planned for our lives. Pray that God will increase our faith and demonstrate His unlimited power to us as we seek to remain faithful and obedient to His calling to share the Gospel with those around us.
Have you ever been talking to someone and feel like they aren’t listening to a word you’re saying? Can you think of a time where you became quick to anger rather than taking a deep breath and remaining calm? What about saying something too quickly and then immediately regretting it? We have all been there, and I am here to tell you that the word of God provides wisdom on how to help us. In James, we are commanded to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. More often than not, when someone is speaking to us, we aren’t really listening to what they are saying, but rather thinking of what our response to them is going to be. God wants us to be better listeners rather than just “hearers”. As everyone knows, the tongue can get you into trouble, and we all know that once you say something you can’t take it back. This is why we are commanded to be slow to speak, so that we can be careful with the words that we choose to use. Now, you might be thinking, “Okay, I can be a better listener, and I can try to be slower to speak, but this slow to anger thing is going to be difficult.” Being angry is not a sin, it’s an emotion. With that being said, your anger can turn into a sin by the way that you handle it. God warns us to use wisdom in handling our anger, and through His word He encourages us to show love and grace instead of lashing out with emotion.