RENEW | Day 28 • Established Thoughts, Established Life
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Philippians 4:8, Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established. (Proverbs 16:3)
Thinking works like a thermostat. You set the temperature and the device signals the HVAC to turn on and distribute either heating or cooling. More than any other factor, how we think regulates our environment and either stabilizes or destabilizes our lives.
Factors that affect us have two sources: Extrinsic and Intrinsic. Extrinsic means, “Coming from the outside of something.” Intrinsic means, “Belonging to the essential nature of a thing: occurring as a natural part of something.”
Circumstances like your work environment, economic state, or actions of other people are all extrinsic factors that you cannot always control. Thinking is an intrinsic factor that you can entirely control. I once heard a person say, “When you change, your circumstances will change.” I did not agree with the statement until I considered the power of thinking and living in the presence of God.
“Commitment” happens first in the heart. According to Proverbs, commitment leads to established thoughts. Combining instructions from Philippians and Proverbs, it is easy to see the benefits of thinking positively.
Reflection Question: What extrinsic factors can you control or change to support better thinking? Key insight I gained today:
