Store Up the Sweet

“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable,…if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Philippians 4:8 RSV

Change the thoughts, and you change the person. If today’s thoughts are tomorrow’s actions, what happens when we fill our minds with thoughts of God’s love? Will standing beneath the downpour of his grace change the way we feel about others?

Paul says absolutely! It’s not enough to keep the bad stuff out. We’ve got to let the good stuff in. It’s not enough to keep no list of wrongs. We have to cultivate a list of blessings: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Thinking conveys the idea of pondering—studying and focusing, allowing what is viewed to have an impact on us.

Rather than store up the sour, store up the sweet.

1 of 365 devotionals in Grace for the Moment, Volume 2
Originally printed in A Love Worth Giving

Mirrored:

It seems that the Bible itself advocates for active optimism. I find this difficult at times since I am quite a pessimist. I just realize now that I cannot fool myself to becoming a positive thinker. I have to learn to think happy thoughts in order to be one. I know that it will not come out naturally in my case but everything begins in a single step.