Focus on God and Growth (IV)

The growth we have been talking about is an all-around growth that cuts across the spirit, the soul and the body. Your spirit man has to be strengthened and enlightened in the knowledge of God. Your soul, the seat of intellect, emotions and will, has to be equipped to rise and shine. And your body has to be healthy. This all-encompassing growth comes at a price. The price of discipline, self-control, sacrifice, bodily exercise, studying, praying, planning, giving, etc. Apostle Paul in our Bible reading today, identifies where growth starts: the heart. He asks us to think of whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Everything starts from the heart because ‘as a man thinks in his heart, so he is’ (Proverbs 23:7), and ‘out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks’ (Matthew 12:34). Your thought is a reflection of who you are. The quality of the content in your heart will go a long way in determining the quality of your life. And the quality of your heart’s content is determined by the things you expose yourself to. If your heart is full of God’s word, the tendency to be God-centered and consistently follow His word will be high. If you give yourself to training, life learning and self-development, your pursuit to be diligent and be better etc., will be high as well. Dear friends, I encourage you to pay attention to your thoughts as we embark on this year’s journey. And let there be an alignment in your thoughts and your actions.

Daily Confession: I receive the grace to focus on God and growth in Jesus’ name.