Day Six

Day Six // February 23 // Whatever is True

“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” – Mark Twain –

Our thoughts have a dramatic impact on our lives. In fact, Proverbs 23:7 captures this truth: “For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Billy Graham wrote, “In the course of a day, all sorts of thoughts lodge themselves in our minds – some good, some not so good. Those thoughts can, in turn, give birth to all sorts of worries and anxieties; they may even lead us to do things that are wrong or destructive.” To take charge of our thoughts and allow the mind of Christ be in us, we must begin by marinating in the truth. John 14:6-7 shows us where truth resides: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’”

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When we walk with God and put our trust in Jesus, our thoughts will start to reflect the values of Jesus. That doesn’t mean that our circumstances will magically change, but it does mean that we will be able to see God in our circumstances. We will start to live by hope. We will start to anticipate that new idea, that new person who will enter our lives. We will start to have a bigger picture and not let the setbacks of the moment deter the greater story. A few years ago, a champion table tennis player lost in the semi-finals of a competition. He decided to go up into the stands and watch the winning team play a few rounds. From there, he got an entirely different view of the game and his opponents. From above, he could see the big picture. He recognized the other teams’ techniques, their strategies, and their weaknesses. As he sat there and soaked up a whole new perspective on his opponents’ game, he realized that he could apply this wisdom to every part of his life. He commented, “The lesson was: Far too often, while fighting our day-to-day battles on the ground, we never look beyond ourselves, or the immediate moment, situation, need or craving at hand. Therefore, we fail to view things from the fuller, richer, wider context of the big picture” When we walk in the truth, we are able to see life from above. We can replace worry with trust, entitlement with gratitude, and we can start to live every day with the mind of Christ.