Fountains of Life

What Are You Thinking?

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Ever think about what you’re thinking about?

Phil.4:8 tells us: “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 love watching little children at the beach. Exploring the water, jumping into waves, moving their tiny toes in the sand. One day I watched a man repeatedly chase down his three-year-old granddaughter bounding towards the ocean with her water-wings on, laughing and smiling as she scurried away. Pure joy and delight were on both of their faces. I like thinking on these kind of things. 

I also follow certain groups on social media who report on positive news-worthy things going on in the world, like neighbors helping neighbors, total strangers supporting each other, rescues, good deeds, and virtuous acts of kindness and bravery. For me, at least, if I’m going to use these platforms, I prefer to put wholesome things into my mind. There is enough negative and discouraging news all around me, it takes an effort sometimes to counteract those things in my thoughts. 

The Word of God has some great wisdom about our thoughts too. Isa. 26: 3 says we will stay in perfect peace if we keep our mind on Him. Col. 3:2 reminds us to keep our minds on things above and not on things of this earth. Also any chapter in the book of Psalms always has a way of restoring my soul and returning hope to me when I’m caught up in the muck of the world. And check out the apostle Paul giving Timothy some good advice throughout the letters he wrote to him (particularly 2 Tim. 2).

So think about what you’re thinking about and I’ll leave you, my friend, with the lyrics from an old Don Moen song: 

Think about His love, think about His goodness

Think about His grace that’s brought us through

For as high as the heavens above

So great is the measure of our father’s love

Great is the measure of our Father’s love

The Beauty of His Creation

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I just love the days when you can walk in the ocean and see your feet through the clear green water. I just love the days when the sky is so blue and the sun is so bright that the warmth settles through your skin and into your soul. I just love the days when God displays His beautiful creation for all the world to be amazed by. 

God’s beauty is revealed in His creation — in nature. For me, His beauty stills my anxious heart, it calms my worried mind, and it puts a peace deep within my spirit. And even if only for a day or an hour, His peace reigns inside me and I feel grateful. 

Yes, beholding His beauty causes gratitude to well up inside of me. Listening to birds chirp in the trees, watching dolphins surface on the water, feeling the breeze blow on my face, all of these things cause a stirring of something — no, Someone — bigger. There is a Creator, a Protector, a Presence, watching over you and me. 

I challenge you to sometime today take a moment and go outside. Close your eyes. Sense your surroundings and feel. Take your shoes off and walk in the grass if you can. Find a park, a beach, a balcony or patio to just sit and listen. There may be noise of the city or traffic or dogs barking, but listen beyond those things. Listen and feel His presence. He’s right there. He’s in the sky and the clouds, even if it’s pouring down raining. He’s in the trees and the flowers, even if they’re just in pots in your house. His beauty is everywhere be it the sound of thunder or rustling leaves. Allow His goodness to flow into you from it and your gratitude to flow out because of it. 

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork. — Ps. 19:1

All God’s creation declares His glory. See it. Feel it. Absorb it. Let it quiet your soul. And be grateful.  

You Are Here

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This morning as I’m driving towards the beach about to head out for a surf, I take a moment to pray and then set my intention. I try to do this every time because I have to remind myself not to get too serious, judge myself, or compare myself to others. I’m there for the fun and exercise. 

So as I was breathing and relaxing and preparing to surf, I heard the Lord remind me, “You are here,” and such a peace came upon me. I’m not over “there,” I’m here. I’m not needing to focus on anything else right now except for being with Him right here, right now.

I pictured one of those directories where the map has a big red spot that says, “you are here” and it made me smile. I think He was smiling too, because for me, I find it difficult to stay “right here, right now” in my mind at times and not be pulled away into something else. 

There are so many things that beg for our attention all the time but the Word tells us that “this is the day the Lord has made…rejoice in it.”(Ps.118:24) He hasn’t made tomorrow yet and yesterday (or an hour ago) has already gone. I’m to be mindful of the present moment and rejoice right where I am. 

Surfing causes my lack of mindfulness to surface. Unfortunately it’s a sport that’s very conditional; it varies with the wind, the tide, the swell (or lack thereof) and you can’t just go out and do it if the circumstances aren’t right. Plus I, personally, have a struggle with FOMO (fear of missing out), so when I’m walking out to the beach you sometimes hear, “Oh, you should’ve been here and hour ago!” or “It was better this morning.” Now I’m no longer here about to surf, but now thinking about the past and wishing I was there. 

This doesn’t happen to me just in surfing. I often spend time wishing I was thinner, stronger, could do somethings better, or wished I would have done something better/differently. My mind gets drawn into either the past or the future instead of rejoicing and being happy right where I am. 

But where I am today, right now, right here, is where I am. I’m not in tomorrow, next week, next year or yesterday. I’m right here. I’m to be still and know that He is God in this present moment. (Ps.46:10) Still enough to accept and trust in His goodness right now, and not worry about anything else. (Matt. 6:25-34) 

After having set my intention and hearing those words “you are here,” I felt the Spirit impart to me: “Right here is where you are to be. Whatever ability and agility you have is where you are right now. Whatever weight you are is where you are right now. Don’t look at others or into the future. Be where you are, right now.” 

He loves me right where I am, right now. 

I’m so grateful Father God is able to bring me such peace and comfort when I’m willing to listen. And my dear friend, whatever you’re hoping for or whatever has already happened, He’s right here with you too. Like me, I believe that He’s asking you to look at that directory of your life and find that red spot that says, “you are here,” then be there too, because He loves you where you are right now. 

Law and Order

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Some think of law and order as something negative, especially these days. But there must be some sort of a system, or set of rules or regulations by which anything functions, whether it be a society, a company, or even an airport. God, Himself, is the originator of laws and order, and for a reason.

First of all, there are natural laws which keep us physically intact, such as gravity, aerodynamics, the changing of seasons or tides. (See Newton’s laws of motion.) All of us couldn’t function on this earth without the force of gravity holding us on the tierra firma. And not only the earth has laws, all the planets have an order too. They each orbit around the sun and have moons which orbit around them. It’s God’s natural laws that keep these aligned so there’s not chaos in the universe. (Literally!) Two plus two will always equal four and a right angle will always be 90 degrees. Science and mathematics are based on natural laws and order.

There are spiritual laws too, with sowing and reaping being probably the most commonly known. (Gal. 6:7; Ps. 126:5,6; 2 Cor. 9:6) This not only applies to finances but also to positive things as well as negative ones. If we think, say, and believe the best in people, we’ll receive the same in return. Generally speaking, I try to do this — believing humans will naturally tend to be kind and generous to one another. One time after having been delayed for hours at an airport, I’d lain down and slept using my backpack for a pillow. Later, after being awoken and lined up to board the flight, a guy came up and asked me if this was my laptop. I’d forgotten I’d taken it out and put it under my backpack. In a slumbered mind I’d only grabbed my bag and walked away from it not noticing. How grateful I was to that precious man who returned it to me! 

Months before this I had “sown” goodness to a lady who had unknowingly dropped her credit card walking through a different airport. I saw it happen, quickly ran to pick it up and rushed to give it back to her. She graciously thanked me. So in the case of my laptop, I believe I reaped what I had sown — in this case, kindness. 

Laws are principles. We can’t change these natural and spiritual laws even if we wanted to. You may not like or believe in gravity but if you step off the top of a building you will truly see how it functions with or without your belief in it. If you want to build a ten-story condominium, you’d better know the engineering laws to make up the plans for it or it won’t stand either.

“God is not the author of confusion (disorder or chaos), but of peace,” 1 Cor. 14:33 tells us. Law and order bring peace in our lives. They’re not meant to be restrictions on us because God wants to keep a heavy hand and control us. But they’re a structure by which we can be safe and secure in His loving arms. His laws guide us, just as traffic lights allows vehicles to flow without crashing into one another. Blessings flow from the top down (another spiritual law; Ps. 133:2) and when we stay under our Father’s care, just as a natural father protects and provides for his children, He will watch over and tend to us too. 

By Cyndi

Questions

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  • How do I remain at rest in God’s love when I can’t feel it nor sense it? 
  • What do I do when I’m afraid — is He even there?
  • How do I keep my faith and trust in God when things don’t seem to be going my way?

Fortunately, we have the Word of God to use as an anchor and grounding device when these types of questions come up. The Bible is unequivocally,  undeniably, and undoubtedly, absolute truth. It is a plumb line we can always use to measure everything else. 

So with this certainty established, let’s look at some of these questions.

The Word tells me God loves me no matter what. That there’s nothing I can do or say (or not do or not say) that would make Him stop loving me. (Rom. 8:38,39) It’s not about what we can or cannot feel, it’s simply an unchangeable fact. Just as I am my father’s daughter, nothing can ever change that; he was part of my conception. Even in death (my father’s) I’m still his daughter. So no matter what the circumstance or situation, nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.

Psalm 56 is a great chapter about fear and trust. The psalmist brings out many fears he’s feeling and how God so sees all the tears we shed He puts them in a bottle. (vs.8) Father is very aware of what we’re going through and wants to comfort us in the midst of these fears.

Hebrews 13:5 reminds us that He will never leave us or forsake us. And look at the context before that: 

“Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.”

I can be content. I don’t have to worry about anything — not about money, food, my job, my kids, nothing. (Luke 12:27-31) Not that money is going to fall from the sky or a job is going to magically appear for me if I
choose to not look for one, but it’s a matter of me doing what I know to do in the natural, and trust Him for guidance and direction. Father God will take care of me. This is true because the Word says so, not because I feel like He will, but because the Word is Truth. Emotions change and can lie; His Word cannot. 

And when things aren’t going my way? Father’s love is still there. I have to choose to not lean on my own understanding (Prov. 3:5) but believe and trust in His care. It’s a choice. He hasn’t forgotten about me. In fact, the Word says He’s graven (carved) us on the palms of His hands. (Isa. 49:16) I’m that close to Him at all times.

David, the Psalmist, was very close to God, and I think one of the reasons why was because he asked a lot of these same questions. He expressed his fears and doubts to the Lord, being totally honest and straightforward with Him. And in the Word we can see where God answered him and comforted him. This vulnerability brought him closer to the Lord. 

This is the same relationship that Father God wants with us. So go ahead and ask Him whatever questions you have. Express all your worries and concerns. Then get in the Word. Maybe use a Bible promise book to help. Take some time to be in the Scriptures and let them ground you and be a foundation in times of instability. (Matt.7:24) Lord knows we all have doubts, frustrations, and questions throughout life, so it’s comforting to be established in His unchanging Word.