Ears to hear...

In my previous two blogs I wrote about directing our thoughts and enlarging our view by fixing our eyes on things  invisible. Someone wrote to me and said  'don't forget our ears.'

And indeed, our hearing… the Bible has quite a lot to say about that as well. Jesus said 'He who has ears, let him hear.' Rather logical, is my guess, unless you have a hearing impairment or are completely deaf.

We have ears to hear, to perceive sounds, to follow conversations, and therefore to listen. The question is: what are we listening to?

Not everything that comes to us within earshot is useful. Not everything is pleasant, pure, lovely, honorable, virtuous, and praiseworthy… yes, the very things that we should fill our minds with. 👉 Conscious listening means making choices.

Romans 10:17 says, So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. If you read that entire chapter, you will see that it is about listening to and obeying the gospel that is being preached. Faith comes from hearing the good news of Jesus Christ.

There are people who are always "preaching" bad news, whether on television, in church, or at work. That is not what builds our faith. On the contrary, it crumbles whatever faith we might have left in this difficult time we are experiencing on a worldwide scale. Remember: faith comes by hearing the word of Christ and His words are spirit and life!

Make sure you listen to His words. How? Read the Bible out loud! Listen to an audio bible! Listen to faith-based sermons! Listen to the Holy Spirit! Faith comes by hearing.

He who has ear, let him hear.

Our viewing is too small

My previous blog 'Managing our thoughts' reached quite a few readers. Apparently, the content spoke to you.

Today I'm writing a follow-up, because it's not only important what we think about, but also what we look at, because that's pretty much where it all starts.

The people behind the mainstream media understand this like no other. It doesn't really matter what an article is about, as long as there is a suitable (stock) photo that attracts attention. 👉After all, images speak louder than words.

Just ask yourself what it is that gets your attention first when you open a page, whether in the newspaper or on the Internet.

Yes, of course, headlines by themselves do scream. However, the combination with an image that touches people emotionally makes the story complete! An image can be etched in our memory, an article not… just think about that.

It probably won't surprise you that the Bible tells us to purposely direct our eyes as well as our thoughts. In 2 Corinthians 4:18 it says: So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Fixing our eyes on unseen things... That's easier said than done. The things we see around us are the reality of every day. No one will deny that. But those things are also temporarily... they pass! (sometimes you wonder what we're all so worried about)

The things we cannot see, are truth and therefore eternal. Love, grace, forgiveness, breath, God himself. Read through all of that chapter 4 and you will see how the writer compares everything he experiences with eternity.

Our viewing is too small, I think that often. The distance between our eyes and a screen or newspaper is at most 60 cm. It would do us good to step outside regularly to view the infinite starry sky. A simple step that can put everything back into proper perspective.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Psalm 8:4).

Managing our thoughts

My thoughts are not always nice and kind. Yeah, I'll admit it. Sometimes I notice that there is annoyance or mistrust or a bit of negativity. You can probably relate...

Human thoughts, I know. However, the Bible tells us not to worry about anything and to direct our thoughts in a different direction. Read along in Philippians 4:6-8,

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 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.

Okay, that's not exactly a list we can find in today's media. We better not look to the mainstream media if we want to receive the peace that transcends our understanding. That peace is Jesus. He is the Prince of Peace.

'Think about such things...' Fix your minds on these things... In other words: fill your thoughts with anything that is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and/or praiseworthy.

I am sure there are plenty of things we can come up with. If nasty and negative thoughts keep going through your head 👉maybe it would be a good idea to make a list, or a set of cards, of everything that you consider pure and lovely and use that to send your thoughts in a different direction!