A witness had been called to testify. As he spoke, the judge listened very carefully. At one point he said, “I think, your Honor…”

The judge immediately stopped him and said, “We don’t care what you think. Simply tell us the facts!”

“But, your Honor,” he said “I can’t talk without thinking.”

What a difference a word makes. And what a different world this would be if our minds were filled with kind and gracious thoughts. It is a known fact that what we think about is what we say and what we do. Our words and actions betray our thoughts and feelings.

We get some great advice from Paul. He said that we are to “fix our thoughts on what is true…honorable…right…pure…lovely…admirable…excellent…and worthy of praise.”

Whenever we speak harsh words about others or do unkind deeds toward others it comes from the thoughts we have stored up in our mind about them. It is so easy to program our thoughts with the opposite of what Paul was writing about. When we watch the news, read newspapers or magazines or even talk to friends, kind words on noble deeds are rarely the main topic of conversation.

Paul set the standard for how Christians are to think.

Prayer: Help us, Father, to fill our minds with things that are pleasing to You so that we reflect Your grace. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Scripture for Today: Philippians 4:8-9

Supermarket behavior is fascinating to watch. It seems as though people change when they enter the door, get their carts and begin to walk through the aisles

The cart becomes a very special "space" that is filled with various items for our particular needs. We would consider someone strange if they met us at the door and said, "Here, take my cart and fill it with whatever you want. I'll meet you at the check out area."

Often, however, we do that with our minds. We become careless with what we read, what we watch, what or who we listen to or what we think about. It can be dangerous - just as it would be if we allowed some stranger to fill our cart.

We are warned in Proverbs to "guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life." In the Bible the heart is akin to the mind and is the keeper of our feelings and thoughts, guides our decisions and provides solutions for daily living. The heart is critical in the battle between wisdom and foolishness, righteousness and evil. It is more important for us to set boundaries around our heart than it is to watch what goes into such a simple thing as a shopping cart.

Prayer: Help us, Father, to be very careful about the things that come into our minds and control our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture: Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.