Day: September 30, 2024

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them.”  Proverbs 29:11 (GW)

Some of the clearest evidence of maturity and responsibility in your life is when you can handle the pressures, problems, and pains of life without becoming angry. The key to responsibility is learning to control your emotional reactions. Instead of exploding with anger when people hurt you, God wants you to turn around and do good to them.

The way we usually express our emotions is through our words. Proverbs 29:11 says, “A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them” (GW).

If you want to be responsible, God says you have to put your mind in gear before you put your mouth in motion. You can’t just say anything that floats through your mind. You need to think before you speak! That’s being responsible.

The Bible says, “People will be responsible for every careless thing they have said” (Matthew 12:36 NCV). One day when we get to heaven, we are going to be held responsible for every thoughtless word we’ve said. We can’t always control our emotions. But God will judge how responsible we were with expressing them.

One of the ways you show responsibility is by not trying to get even with people who hurt you. When somebody slanders you, steals from you, or mistreats you, don’t lower yourself to their standard by trying to get even. Instead, choose the higher way—God’s way—and forgive that person. Trust God to handle it and serve justice. Then you can move on with your life. 

“Don’t let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing good” (Romans 12:21 TLB).

When someone cuts you off in traffic, what is your first reaction? When you find out someone is gossiping about you, how do you respond? When someone hurts you with their words, actions, or lack of care, do you treat them the same way so they know how you feel?

Choosing to follow Jesus means making the choices that honor him and show responsibility. When you have a choice, choose to think before you speak. Then, choose grace and forgiveness.

By Rick Warren – Source: nhulieuthanhkinh.com

“A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.”  Proverbs 15:14 (NLT)

Our minds control everything else about us. Our thoughts influence our feelings. And our feelings impact our actions.

What you think matters, because everything starts in the mind. To be a responsible person, you have to control your thoughts.

But let me relieve you of some false guilt: You’re not responsible for every stray thought that passes through your mind. Stray thoughts enter our minds for a variety of reasons, like conversations you hear by accident, things you see, or stuff the Devil puts in your mind.

You’re responsible for how you deal with those stray thoughts. Martin Luther said it like this: “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.”

God will hold you accountable for what you allow to enter your mind.

I’m amazed by what some people watch—not to mention what they let their children watch. Many followers of Jesus spend their time watching TV shows and listening to podcasts that have absolutely no moral, emotional, or educational value. They pay good money to see deviant behavior as entertainment. People watching such shows have told me, “When I go see those kinds of things, it just doesn’t phase me. It doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t affect me.”

But that’s just not true!

Scientists have done study after study that says you never really forget any scene you see. Even if you don’t consciously recall the scene, that idea will come right back to your mind—in living color—when something else stimulates the thought.

In other words, “Garbage in, garbage out.” What you put into your mind will inevitably bear fruit in your behavior and beliefs. In fact, when cheap entertainment doesn’t bother you anymore, it’s a warning light that you’ve already passed the threshold.

One of Satan’s greatest tricks for attracting you to sinful lifestyles is comedy. That’s why on TV or in movies, deviant behavior often starts in a comedic situation. If Satan can get you laughing at something that is sinful, then you’ve already lost the battle.

Sin isn’t funny. Sin put Jesus on the cross.

Proverbs 15:14 says, “A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash” (NLT).

Are you hungry for more knowledge of God, or are you content to keep a steady diet of entertainment that breaks his heart? You have the power to decide what you feed your mind.