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| Vol. 16 No. 3 March 2014 | Page 3 |
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| Vol. 16 No. 3 March 2014 | Page 3 |
Torrey Clark
There’s something about human nature that wants to dwell on negativity. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the news and magazines. The latest divorces, scandals and controversies dominate the scene. Inconsistent with biblical love, some even find pleasure in hearing the wrongdoings of others (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:6). There are some that seem to be consumed with everything that is wrong with the world to the point it makes them bitter and incapable of feeling joy. As Christians, we must be aware of the realities of the world (as negative as they may be), but we should not be consumed in our thinking by them. Remember the words of Paul: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8 Mounce).
As Christians, we should look for the virtuous things in life as a dwelling place for our thoughts. Let us all meditate upon this verse and actively seek to dwell on the good in our thought life. Let us focus on what’s right in the world instead of always what is wrong. Let us focus on the good that may come out of situations that are not so good.
Let us focus on what we have instead of what we don’t have. Failing to let our minds dwell on the good is dangerous to our souls. If we’re not careful, by our own negativity and bitterness, we may make our lives miserable and conceal the light of Christ in us. This doesn’t mean we are artificially ‘happy on the outside’ all the time, nor content with the evil that takes place around us. However, the world is in desperate need of hope and truth. We should stand firm for what we are against, but we should also be a people who are known what we are for. We want the world to know that we are for grace, truth, forgiveness, righteousness, love and ultimately for Jesus. We cannot proclaim what we are for to the world if we are consumed with negativity and bitterness.
May God help us cleanse our thought-life through His Word. May God bless us all as we serve Him this week!
Thomas Baxley
Deuteronomy 6:13 says, “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His name.” This is the verse Jesus cited when Satan tempted Jesus to worship him. God stated, and Jesus affirmed, that only God is to be worshipped. As we read through the Bible, we find men attempting to worship angels, but the angels refused it (Revelation 22:8-9). We also find men trying to worship other men, which was also refused (Acts 10:25; 14:8-18). Whenever a servant of God is worshipped, either men or angel, they refuse, because only God is to be worshipped. That being said, what are we to make of the fact of Jesus accepted worship? Hebrews 1:6 quotes from Psalm 148:2 where angels worship Him, and we find several instances where men worshipped Him (Matthew 2:11; 14:33; 28:9, 17; John 9:38). There can only be one conclusion: Jesus accepts worship because He is God. Otherwise, He contradicts His own words as found in Matthew 4:10 and Luke 4:8. Thomas said it very well when the resurrected Christ appeared to Him in John 20:28, and our cry should be no different!