THINK" SERIES: PART 10 - "WHATEVER IS LOVELY"

THINK BIBLICALLY - #6

 " Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things". (Philippians 4:8)

 There is nothing more beautiful in this world than God's creation. From the tiniest ant, as annoying to the picnic basket as ants can be, to the red cardinal that buzzes your kitchen window and then flies around the backyard. From the faithful little yapper Schnauzer on your couch to the goldfish that swims around your aquarium. The Mighty Hand of God is evident everywhere - from the complexities of the human body to the sunset which seems to be completely different every evening...regardless of the opinions of mortal men, the handiwork of the Master Artist and Creator is evident. The Bible tells us so in Romans 1:20a "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power".

In the Arizona desert and in others where cacti live, there is a rare flower called the Cereus. This stunning and fragrant flower only blooms late at night. Read more about the Cereus flower here. This video shows the late-night blooming process in a controlled greenhouse environment. However there most regular sightings are done from the desert itself.

The ability of our minds, guided by a clear eye and spirit, to capture the beauty and majesty of Creation should inspire us to lift our entire outlook, thinking and perspective to the higher plane.

Be like King David who wrote in Psalm 8:3-4 "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him"?

Whenever we are down and depressed and/or tempted to lapse into pitiful or stinking thinking, immediately go outside in your garden and watch the bees gathering wild honey in your pumpkin patch or the squirrel gathering nuts. Or grab your bible and open to the book of Psalms and worship the one True God of Heaven, Who made us a little lower than the angels, that we may magnify and adore His precious and holy Name. All around us, are the evidences of lovely, pleasant, and acceptable things and even people, of whom the Lord will absolutely approve. There is absolutely no reason to live in a state of hopelessness. Hope is palpable and literally within reach. Take THAT thought captive.

Father in Jesus' Strong Name may Your Name be magnified, glorified and praised throughout the earth. Holy is Your Name. All power and glory belongs to You. You told us in Philippians 4:8 to think on whatever things are lovely, pleasant, wonderful and pleasing to both You and mankind. More than that Lord when we consider the complexities of the human body and the Mind that created every living cell, fiber and muscle in us, how can we not think of lovely, stunning thoughts of You, oh Great God of Heaven. May our puny little lives be acceptable unto Thee and may our worship, made from repentant and obedient hearts bring glory to You, in all that we do, in Jesus' Strong Name. Amen.

Image Credit: Epic Gardening

PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES - THE BOOK OF JAMES, #8

METHODOLOGY CONCERNING: HAPPINESS

Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms (James 5:13b)

Most people I know only pray or ask for prayer in times of sickness, sadness and horrible tragedy. This is when all the calls for “thoughts and prayers” cometh forth. But do you know that God, our loving Heavenly Father, wishes to hear from us too when something good happens? There is nothing that happens to the believer which the Father hath not ordained. James says “every good gift  and every perfect gift is from above, and comes from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). This means “EVERY”.

The life we have, He gave it. The home we live in, He gave it. The spouse, children, parents and family we have, He gave it. The job, finances and automobiles we have, He gave. Our health, our joy, our peace of mind, our Salvation – all from Him. Why would we, therefore, not thank Him for any and all of this every single day?!

It is not the first time Scripture uses the word “cheerful”. When the Bible says “God loves a cheerful giver”, it means He loves someone who gives ungrudgingly, and  with a gracious attitude, or (attitude of gratitude).  The word also implies hilarity – jocularity and sheer joy which one is so filled with that it should burst forth to those around you, being grateful.

James not only brings up joy but directs us to the only true prayer book directly written by God – the Book of Psalms! Most of these psalms – all 150 of them – were written down by the great Biblical poet, King David but they emanated from the Spirit of God. This is so, for a reason – we are to pray them, learn them, sing them, read them, study them and simply  grow our faith through them.  A lot of modern contemporary worship singers like Third Day or Jeremy Camp have turned parts of psalms into amazing worship music. Third Day’s King of Glory is based on Psalm 24. But when James wrote this, all he had were the cantors in the Jerusalem Temple where Christians were not allowed (called “Followers of the Way” at that time). 

The closest you will ever come these days to what the psalms may have sounded like in Bible days can be listened to in these Messianic worship videos by Marty Goetz. Marty, like the Apostle Paul, was high up in Judaism as a Cantor, butwhen the Lord Jesus – Yeshua – saved him, Marty Goetz brought his brilliant talent, authentic synagogue background from the last 3500 years and his brilliant gift to singing Scripture.

Not all prayers are petitions asking something of our Great God in Heaven, through Jesus Christ. Some of them are designed to be just prayers of heartfelt praise and worship to our Creator and the King of the Universe!  Listen to part of Psalm 118 here, sung in original Hebrew, as recommended by James in Chapter 5, verse 13b. Some of what is being sung is from Psalm 118:25-26 "Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord....."

Image Credit: Vector Clipart