Ephesians 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 “
A children’s song by Steve Green came to my mind this morning that we used to sing in the car and at the house when the children were little. “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable . . . think about such things. Whatever is excellent, whatever is praiseworthy think about, think about, think about such things.” As the song kept playing in my mind I started to think about something my husband shared with me last night.
He talked about the game of tug of war. There is usually a team on each end of the rope pulling to see who can cause the other team to cross the line first. We usually focus on the teams competing right? Well, my husband gave me a different focus. He likened it to the world now days. He said that our children are like the flag in the middle of the rope hanging above the line and on one end of the rope you have the world and the other end of the rope you have the church. Each side is pulling with all their might, tugging, swaying, and trying to influence our children and grandchildren until they yield to one side or the other. There are so many more things competing for our children’s hearts, minds and souls than ever before.
Ephesians 4:22-23 reminded me that we have a huge responsibility to see that our children and grandchildren fill their minds, their eyes, and their ears with things that are true, right, pure, etc. because if we don’t, the world stands waiting to sneak in and take our place. It is much easier to be purposeful and intentional on the front end than for God to have to weed eat the impurities out on the back end. The things we see, hear, and take in are embedded into our hearts and minds and have an impact on how we think and act. They are stored away or recorded and satan has a way of pulling them out and using them to his advantage whenever he has opportunity. The old saying garbage in, garbage out is very true. Let’s make sure that only pure and excellent things get placed inside these temples where God is dwelling.
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Dear Lord,
We can’t escape the ungodly influences that rage around us. The stench of evil and ungodliness has become the norm and continually fights to get our attention. Help us to be careful what we look upon, what we listen to and what we engage in. You desire for us to be holy and set apart for your purposes. Help us to be able to turn away from all that negatively affects our thinking and goes against what we know to be true. Should we take a step in the wrong direction, please immediately get our attention and turn our hearts back to you. Our little ones are watching every move we make and listening to everything we say. Help them to catch a glimpse of You when they revere us and may we give off the fragrance and the knowledge of You at all times! Hide these precious little ones in the shelter of Your wings and may their greatest influence come from You!
In Jesus Name,
Amen
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