Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Thursday January 22, 2009

I called one of my parishioners and we talked about the condition of his wife who is in the hospital after emergency surgery. He is home with four children. He stated that after near a week of this torture he looks a lot like Jack Nicolson in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest." We both agreed the Lord will see him through this, but we both knew down deep he really longs for Jesus to come. Now.

During the conversation Johnny mentioned that we humans tend to negativity. He went on to tell me of the stories, comments etc that his children pick up and remember from the neighbors. Most were sarcastic adult remarks from spouse to spouse or about the neighbors, the economy, even the president. He asked, "Larry, why do kids remember the negative?"

My Idea is that biblically, due to the fall, we tend toward the evil, and the above relates to evil thinking and speaking. We are constantly warned in the scriptures to force the negative from our mind and induce the positive to flow into our minds and hearts. Paul comments on this as do most biblical authors. The favorite summation verse on this truth is Philippians 4:8:

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

I was taught and attempt to practice that this verse is a great filter for our thoughts and thus our speech. This is so easy to say. We all know that it is healthier to "run up steps than to run down people." God teaches us that the practice of negative thinking, feeling and speaking on the lower plane ultimately does the person engaging in such more harm than it does to the person who is being engaged upon! Negativity becomes a lifestyle that is for the most part destructive.

A man who knew quite a bit about being the butt of negative thinkers and speakers, due to his birth as a Jew, Benjamin Disraeli, twice Prime Minister of Great Britain, encouraged people to:

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts; to believe in the heroic makes heroes."

In the same vein he stated:

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go higher than you think."

Solomon wrote, "Proverbs 23:7 "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:"

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2009 Use with Credit.

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