Nice words are free, so choose ones that please another's ears. VIETNAMESE PROVERB
The apostle Pauls final thoughts as he writes his letter to the church at Philippi, share this with me.
And now dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
PHILIPPIANS 4:8 NLT
I have observed in my life that I must make an effort to think on thoughts that are good and pure. I have also noticed that thoughts that are bad and impure just seem to drift into my mind without ever having to think about them. Why is that I wonder? I think it must be conditioning and training that has taken place over the years, and the fact that there is so much negative thought in the world today. All the news whether it be world, national, state or local seems to be negative. There are some good reports of human interest, but they are few and far between. So mostly what we digest is not good stuff. Even when we meet and fellowship with our friend and neighbors, many times the conversations either start or come around to something negative. This is not all bad, because we need to know and have concerns for those we love. We also need to know what specific prayers need to be prayed. It seems to me that the negative stuff of life just seems to show up. The apostle Paul said to fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. The word fix to me implies that an effort is made, that you have to do something, that maybe you need to hold the thought to keep it in place. Nice words are free, but you have to work to hold on to them. The Vietnamese proverb that I ran across today really set me back about 39 years. Back to a time, when I was in the Army, and involved in the Vietnam War. I recall of those days using very few nice words to the Vietnamese people. I am sure that I must have at times, but what I recall today is the negative attitude I had about the whole business of war. Not that I was against the war at the time, I was a soldier and was honorable in my devotion to my unit and my country. It just seemed that words of war were more apt to bring survival than nice words. Today I realized that nice words are free, and words that are not so nice cost. They will cost you everything if not controlled. Today I realize that I must fix, I must hold in place the good and the good thoughts that I have. This way God is able to do for me what I could not do for myself .JRE
True happiness can be found in every situation of life when we recognize that God is at work and always in control. Because Christ is with us and his return is certain, we can act calmly in pain and difficulty. Peace and joy come when we focus on those things that provide lasting value to our life. The more we commit ourself to knowing Gods will through prayer and study of his Word, the better prepared we are to help ourself and others in the process of recovery.
LIFE RECOVERY BIBLE, page 1438
When I focus on whats good today, I have a good day, and when I focus on whats bad, I have a bad day. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 419
The apostle Pauls final thoughts as he writes his letter to the church at Philippi, share this with me.
And now dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
PHILIPPIANS 4:8 NLT
I have observed in my life that I must make an effort to think on thoughts that are good and pure. I have also noticed that thoughts that are bad and impure just seem to drift into my mind without ever having to think about them. Why is that I wonder? I think it must be conditioning and training that has taken place over the years, and the fact that there is so much negative thought in the world today. All the news whether it be world, national, state or local seems to be negative. There are some good reports of human interest, but they are few and far between. So mostly what we digest is not good stuff. Even when we meet and fellowship with our friend and neighbors, many times the conversations either start or come around to something negative. This is not all bad, because we need to know and have concerns for those we love. We also need to know what specific prayers need to be prayed. It seems to me that the negative stuff of life just seems to show up. The apostle Paul said to fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. The word fix to me implies that an effort is made, that you have to do something, that maybe you need to hold the thought to keep it in place. Nice words are free, but you have to work to hold on to them. The Vietnamese proverb that I ran across today really set me back about 39 years. Back to a time, when I was in the Army, and involved in the Vietnam War. I recall of those days using very few nice words to the Vietnamese people. I am sure that I must have at times, but what I recall today is the negative attitude I had about the whole business of war. Not that I was against the war at the time, I was a soldier and was honorable in my devotion to my unit and my country. It just seemed that words of war were more apt to bring survival than nice words. Today I realized that nice words are free, and words that are not so nice cost. They will cost you everything if not controlled. Today I realize that I must fix, I must hold in place the good and the good thoughts that I have. This way God is able to do for me what I could not do for myself .JRE
True happiness can be found in every situation of life when we recognize that God is at work and always in control. Because Christ is with us and his return is certain, we can act calmly in pain and difficulty. Peace and joy come when we focus on those things that provide lasting value to our life. The more we commit ourself to knowing Gods will through prayer and study of his Word, the better prepared we are to help ourself and others in the process of recovery.
LIFE RECOVERY BIBLE, page 1438
When I focus on whats good today, I have a good day, and when I focus on whats bad, I have a bad day. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 419
