Daily Devotion: Whatever Is Lovely And Admirable

Scripture:
Philippians 4: 1-9

Main Verse:
Philippians 4: 8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Observation:
We often hear the saying "think positive." Norman Vincent Peale, the author of the book "The Power of Positive Thinking" believed that a person would achieve a higher quality of life by having an optimistic attitude. Many times though, we are our own enemies. We automatically face the problem with a negative, grumpy and fretful attitude. We are stuck in traffic then we curse the weather, the driver, the government. We arrive at our destination having a bad temper because we have started the day complaining about how bad everything is. Philippians 4:8 tells us that we should always think about whatever is lovely and admirable. We would never be able to get rid of problems while we live in his world, but the way we view them makes a lot of difference.

Application:
Let us choose to see blessings in everything every day. We can't control the situations we are in, BUT we can control our feelings. We can't manipulate others' actions, BUT we can guide our thoughts to think often about lovely and admirable things. You can choose to see either the church goer who offended you, or the sister whose life has been a great source of blessing. You can choose to listen to the songleader's not so great voice, or you can ignore that and choose to listen to the Lord's voice as you sing praises to Him. As Christians, we should never entertain negative thoughts. Choose to think about whatever is excellent and praiseworthy. And if you are in a difficult situation, remember that we have a God who is in control of everything in the universe and who is bigger than any problem or circumstance!

Prayer:
There is always something to be joyful of, Lord, and to me, it is the knowledge that I have a God who is greater than my worries and concerns. There is something good to look forward to everyday because of Your presence in my life. Thank you, Lord, for giving me eyes that see the beauty of this world. There is so much for me to thank about--waking up everyday with renewed strength is one of those things. Thank you for the inner joy, Lord. I give you all the glory, and honor, and praises. AMEN.