Day 15 - 40 Days of JOY
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of JOY
Day 15 | OUR THINKING AND OUR JOY
40 Days of JOY
Day 15 | OUR THINKING AND OUR JOY
OUR THINKING AND OUR JOY
Proverbs 23:7
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
It’s surprising how many people don’t understand the connection between our feelings of joy and what we think.
Most rather expect JOY to be something that just overtakes them by surprise! And yes, there are times when someone surprises you with something that makes you happy, but to be sure, those times are usually few and far between.
What is NOT “few and far between” is how our thinking – our day to day, moment by moment thinking – affects us emotionally.
A classic fable begins with the grandfather telling his grandson about the two wolves battling inside his heart. “One is wise and kind, and the other is vicious and cruel,” says the grandfather. “Which one will win?” asks the grandson. And the grandfather replies, “The one I feed.”
What are you feeding your heart? What are you thinking about? What are you imagining? What are you reading? Watching on TV? Who are you listening to? What conversations have you been a part of, and did they contribute to your JOY or not?
What are you worried about that you are repeating over and over and over again in your mind and playing the dreaded “what if” game? Or, what positive, hopeful, joyous things are you choosing to occupy your thoughts? You see, although it may not be EASY, it is POSSIBLE for us to let our thoughts dwell on the positive, the “wise wolf,” and not the “negative, vicious and cruel wolf.”
Prayer: LORD, I don’t want to think about the bad stuff. Help me to be more discerning in what I think about. Help me to make better choices. And help me to spend more time pondering YOU… all that You are, all that You can do, and all that You’ve done for me. Amen.
Proverbs 23:7
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
It’s surprising how many people don’t understand the connection between our feelings of joy and what we think.
Most rather expect JOY to be something that just overtakes them by surprise! And yes, there are times when someone surprises you with something that makes you happy, but to be sure, those times are usually few and far between.
What is NOT “few and far between” is how our thinking – our day to day, moment by moment thinking – affects us emotionally.
A classic fable begins with the grandfather telling his grandson about the two wolves battling inside his heart. “One is wise and kind, and the other is vicious and cruel,” says the grandfather. “Which one will win?” asks the grandson. And the grandfather replies, “The one I feed.”
What are you feeding your heart? What are you thinking about? What are you imagining? What are you reading? Watching on TV? Who are you listening to? What conversations have you been a part of, and did they contribute to your JOY or not?
What are you worried about that you are repeating over and over and over again in your mind and playing the dreaded “what if” game? Or, what positive, hopeful, joyous things are you choosing to occupy your thoughts? You see, although it may not be EASY, it is POSSIBLE for us to let our thoughts dwell on the positive, the “wise wolf,” and not the “negative, vicious and cruel wolf.”
Prayer: LORD, I don’t want to think about the bad stuff. Help me to be more discerning in what I think about. Help me to make better choices. And help me to spend more time pondering YOU… all that You are, all that You can do, and all that You’ve done for me. Amen.
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