THINK TOGETHER.
What do you think about the most?
READ TOGETHER.
Romans 8:5 Those who are dominated by the flesh think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
When a person trusts in Jesus for salvation, they receive the Holy Spirit. The next step is to let the Holy Spirit control what we think about so that we think about things that please the Holy Spirit. Things that please Jesus.
The opposite of this is the person who lets their flesh, the selfish part of us, dominate what we think about. This person only thinks about what they want and how to get what they think is best for them.
The flesh thinks about only winning the game. The Spirit thinks about how to play hard in the game no matter who wins.
The flesh thinks about whining and complaining when mom and dad tell you what to do. The Spirit thinks about how to best honor your mom and dad.
The flesh thinks about how to make fun of someone so that you can fit in with the group. The Spirit thinks about how to be kind to the kids that everyone else is making fun of.
The flesh thinks about how to do as little work on the class project as possible. The Spirit thinks about how to use all that God gave you to do your best work.
The flesh thinks about how to cover up the truth so that you don’t get in trouble. The Spirit thinks about how to be brave and tell the truth even if it means you get in trouble.
The flesh thinks about how to make yourself look good in front of others. The Spirit thinks about how to make Jesus look good in front of others.
Yes, the Holy Spirit lives inside every Christian, and he is constantly giving us thoughts that are pleasing to God. In fact, the Bible says that when we have Jesus, we have the thoughts of Jesus. But we still have a choice. Every moment of every day we can choose to think about sinful things or Spirit things. Things that make us look good, or things that make Jesus look good.
Because of the Holy Spirit we have been given the thoughts of Jesus.
With the Holy Spirit we can think about things that please God.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Make Philippians 4:8 a family memory verse. How can we make sure that what goes INTO our minds matches these things that must be IN our minds – true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise?
PRAY TOGETHER
Father, your Holy Spirit in me is changing what I think about. Help me to think about you, God, and not just myself all the time. Amen.
TLICfamily 