Lyle's Blog

There are people that have no secrets.  They yell, spew hatred, and are on the edge of violence all the time.  You may not know why they think something but they make it perfectly clear what they think.  Over and over again they repeat the same rant.  Our society today is filled with people who just have to throw their ignorant thoughts out imagining that by some magical way they’ll get others to listen.

Then there are those of us who don’t say much.  We think it; we just don’t say much.  I remember Jesus saying that if we think something it is no different than if we had done it.  Wrong thoughts are the seed of wrong actions (sin).  That’s why we’re supposed to take every thought captive to the leading of the Spirit.  It bothers me how many times I don’t do that.  I have sin that stays in my head.  I have to repent daily.

I think that’s why the apostle Paul said to dwell on good things, the good report.  I used to be a news junkie of sorts and I believe it’s important to keep up with what goes on in the world.  But we don’t need it every day.  My wife and I used to watch the television show “48 hours”.  Like the rest of the world, we were fascinated by murder mysteries.  Constantly viewing morbid things is depressing.  Doing so makes it seem that the whole world is unredeemable.  I understand there are some nasty things happening every day but I don’t need to know about them all.

I have to believe that thinking about the solution is better than dwelling on the problem.  Remember the song “Keep your eyes upon Jesus”?  When we do, the things of earth grow dim and we realize we have lives blessed with His glory and grace.