One important reason I decided to share my notes about what Jesus said to do was to demonstrate how Jesus’ statements are remarkably practical to follow in today’s world. This has been my experience and I hope it will be yours.
I love this quote from the Bible’s book of Psalms. This is another idea from Jesus’ command to rejoice and be glad that is always applicable.
I’ve had to learn
This image reminds me of a lesson that I have to keep learning over and over again. I don’t like the cold and it’s easy for me to grumble about it. In fact, it’s quite easy for me to focus on what I don’t like about alot of life and to grumble about those things in my mind and in my speech. In this frame of mind, I can’t see the good things in life that are actually all around me. For instance, the beauty in this photograph can too easily be ignored if I’m grumbling about the cold. I can be grateful and focus on the beauty even if I still don’t like the cold. It puts me in a better attitude when I can do this.
I have to be conscience about being grateful and rejoicing in the good things in my life. It’s natural for me to be cynical and to focus on the darker side of politics, work, people, places and etcetera. I have heard that such thinking is natural because human nature is always looking for danger or threat as a matter of survival. But this kind of thinking does me little good in 99% of modern western living. If I want to be a likable person, if I want to encourage others, if I want to like myself and be content in my own circumstances, if I want better things to happen then I need to direct my thoughts toward gratefulness and rejoicing. Directing my thoughts in a better direction is the only way to begin behaving in better ways to make better things happen.
Below, please share your comments , question or perhaps your own application for this command
© 2018 Christopher Carlson
WhatJesusSaidToDo.com
So very true… it can be such a fine line even for optimistic people to be pulled down into this negative murky state of thinking/being. When I keep my focus “upward” it blows by so easily… without much thought, care, or destruction done. Besides, what can I really do to effect the doings of the world, except to pray and trust God’s in control.
Thanks for that comment, Mike. I like to keep up on current events but it can be a trap for me. One thing that helps is to look for those news items that are genuinely uplifting. I like to science and tech columns when there’s something inspirational there. I think you’re right in that there is very little we can do about a lot of the negative news. On rare occasion I’ve contacted a government official with an email or phone call. I’ve been surprised by their candid replies but ultimately I’m not sure it effects much real change. Mostly I’m with you in taking confidence that it’s going to be alright because I know God and trust Him. Let’s do “upward” today!