21 May 2017
Two-Minute Features | 28 May 2017 | 14 May 2017

God Tells Us What to Think About in our Minds (TMF:655)

Friday, May 26, 2017
Peace to Live By: God Tells Us What to Think About in our Minds (TMF:655) - Daniel Litton
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       And while we shouldn’t be thinking about wrong thoughts, we are clearly told by God what we should be thinking about. Paul told the Philippians, “And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about” (Philippians 4:8, TLB). Now, we shouldn’t complicate this. We can think about anything that is good. We can admire the beauty of nature, good things that other people do, and even dwell on great truths in the Bible. We can thank God for the good things he has done in our lives, and the good he is currently doing. Whatever we want think about is fine, but it needs to be good things and not negative, worrisome, or evil things.

Trusting in God Will Give Us Peace in Our Lives (TMF:654)

Thursday, May 25, 2017
Peace to Live By: Trusting in God Will Give Us Peace in Our Lives (TMF:654) - Daniel Litton
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       Let’s remind ourselves of what Solomon told us in Proverbs: “If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success. Don’t be conceited, sure of your own wisdom. Instead, trust and reverence the Lord, and turn your back on evil; when you do that, then you will be given renewed health and vitality” (3:4-8, TLB). Indeed, our trusting in God will produce peace in our lives. We trust God by putting him first in life, first in every decision that matters. When we do this, we will have peace because we will know we are in being pleasing to God and doing the right thing by putting him first. And when we put God first, we know there is nothing to worry about (see Matthew 6).

We Gain Peace by Yielding Our Minds to the Spirit (TMF:653)

Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Peace to Live By: We Gain Peace by Yielding Our Minds to the Spirit (TMF:653) - Daniel Litton
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       If we look at the fruit of the Spirit, the things that the Holy Spirit wants to produce in our lives, we will see peace listed there. Remember the verse in Galatians? It says, “When the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace…” (5:22, TLB). So, when we live our lives yielding in our minds to the Spirit—thinking right thoughts, and not thinking on wrong, evil, or misleading thoughts—we will have ‘peace’ growing in our internal thoughts. This will make life more enjoyable for us, as Christians, because we will have clearer and cleaner minds, all the while being more pleasing to God in our thought-life. God’s commands are good for us; they lead us into a more fulfilling life, and the case is no different here.

Choose to Let the Peace of Christ Rule in You (TMF:652)

Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Peace to Live By: Choose to Let the Peace of Christ Rule in You (TMF:652) - Daniel Litton
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       Point number three is: Choose to Let the Peace of Christ Rule in You. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of heart that comes from Christ be always present in your hearts and lives, for this is your responsibility and privilege as members of his body. And always be thankful” (TLB). As I mentioned earlier, just because we have ‘peace’ from God does not mean that we always use it, practice it, or let it rule in our minds. Indeed, as we learn to combat wrong thoughts that come into our minds, getting rid of anything that doesn’t belong there, we then experience more and more peace. So our peace that we cultivate into our minds will actually then cultivate in our lives. We will have better attitudes about ourselves, and better attitudes toward others as we treat them better. Our peace will make us feel like being better people. We won’t be so down trodden that we don’t feel like doing anything, but we will want to live life to its fullest extent. Indeed, as Paul just said, we have a “responsibility and privilege” to let peace flow in our lives.

True Peace Doesn't Come from Following Rules (TMF:651)

Monday, May 22, 2017
Peace to Live By: True Peace Doesn't Come from Following Rules (TMF:651) - Daniel Litton
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       Nobody is exempt from experiencing it or disqualified. You see, we don’t gain peace in our lives, in our minds, by following rules in order to please God in Heaven. That’s a works-based religion. If you’re living that way, the good feeling you get when you do seemingly ‘good’ things is a prideful feeling—and isn’t based in true peace, true acceptance. To be sure, the Bible says, “But now God has shown us a different way to heaven—not by “being good enough” and trying to keep his laws, but by a new way (though not new, really, for the Scriptures told about it long ago). Now God says he will accept and acquit us—declare us “not guilty”—if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like” (Romans 3:21, 22, TLB). So, peace with God can belong to anybody.