Thought for Today March 10, 2018: Topic - What You See Is What You Are About
What You See Is What You Are About
Acts 11:22-24
News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
Thoughts for Today:
If I asked you to describe your best friend, how would you begin? I might answer, "about five feet four inches, one hundred fifteen pounds, medium length blonde hair, very pretty" (for those of you who know me, I am describing my wife). However, a physical description is rarely the kind of image we have of a person presented to us in Scripture. We don't know if Barnabas was tall or short, wiry or burly. Did he have thinning hair or thick curly hair? Was he prosperous or poor? What difference does it make, you might ask. Yet we who live in this country are very concerned about our physical image -- the car we drive, the neighborhood we live in, the schools our kids attend, etc. I think that is because we spend more time looking at people with our eyes and not enough time experiencing people with our hearts.
When Barnabas arrived in Antioch he didn't see a church meeting in a home; he didn't see wealth or poverty; he didn't even do a head count; instead he saw "the evidence of the grace of God..." He didn't see what was wrong; he saw what was right. So how do we get away from this obsession with outward appearances? We have to look at how the Bible describes Barnabas, "He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith..." Barnabas saw in others what he was full of, and Barnabas wasn't about physical appearance. Our minds have the ability to screen out the information we receive in which we have no interest. In other words, we only see what we are interested in. What are you interested in? What are you full of -- the Holy Spirit and faith -- or something else?
Questions to Ponder:
If you are a man full of lust, what do you see? Of the hundreds of people you see in a day you will focus on the one woman with a low cut top or short skirt. If you are full of envy, what do you see? You would see a neighbor's new car, or the vacation brochure on a co-worker's desk. What you see (or rather what draws your attention) is what you are full of. What are you full of? What would you like to be full of? What steps can you take today to make sure you are full of the Holy Spirit and faith? Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and to guide and direct your path today.
What You See Is What You Are About
Acts 11:22-24
News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
Thoughts for Today:
If I asked you to describe your best friend, how would you begin? I might answer, "about five feet four inches, one hundred fifteen pounds, medium length blonde hair, very pretty" (for those of you who know me, I am describing my wife). However, a physical description is rarely the kind of image we have of a person presented to us in Scripture. We don't know if Barnabas was tall or short, wiry or burly. Did he have thinning hair or thick curly hair? Was he prosperous or poor? What difference does it make, you might ask. Yet we who live in this country are very concerned about our physical image -- the car we drive, the neighborhood we live in, the schools our kids attend, etc. I think that is because we spend more time looking at people with our eyes and not enough time experiencing people with our hearts.
When Barnabas arrived in Antioch he didn't see a church meeting in a home; he didn't see wealth or poverty; he didn't even do a head count; instead he saw "the evidence of the grace of God..." He didn't see what was wrong; he saw what was right. So how do we get away from this obsession with outward appearances? We have to look at how the Bible describes Barnabas, "He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith..." Barnabas saw in others what he was full of, and Barnabas wasn't about physical appearance. Our minds have the ability to screen out the information we receive in which we have no interest. In other words, we only see what we are interested in. What are you interested in? What are you full of -- the Holy Spirit and faith -- or something else?
Questions to Ponder:
If you are a man full of lust, what do you see? Of the hundreds of people you see in a day you will focus on the one woman with a low cut top or short skirt. If you are full of envy, what do you see? You would see a neighbor's new car, or the vacation brochure on a co-worker's desk. What you see (or rather what draws your attention) is what you are full of. What are you full of? What would you like to be full of? What steps can you take today to make sure you are full of the Holy Spirit and faith? Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and to guide and direct your path today.
Thought for Today March 10, 2018: Topic - What You See Is What You Are About
Reviewed by Muyiwa Abodunrin (Muyilight)
on
March 10, 2018
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