SUNDAY DECEMBER 15
“Whatever
is right…think about [it].” Php 4:8 NIV
FOCUS ON
YOUR OPPORTUNITIES, NOT YOUR RIGHTS
People and circumstances don’t determine your
attitude, you do! To win in life you must learn to focus on your opportunities,
not your rights. Paul wrote from a prison cell, “Whatever is true, whatever is
noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable—if anything is excellent and praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Clearly, circumstances could lock Paul in, but they couldn’t keep him down. One
of the biggest causes of discontent is our constant struggle to “secure our
rights.” Have you been wronged? Do you feel like you haven’t gotten a fair
share? That’s because you live in an imperfect world. And as long as you do,
you won’t see a time when everything you do is justly rewarded. SO you’re faced
with a decision: Are you going to spend your time and energy on what should have been, or get over it and
focus on what can be? Even when truth
and justice are on your side, you may never be able to right all your wrongs.
But ultimately, God will, so leave it in His hands. Continually “fighting for
your rights” just makes you negative. And besides, when you focus on your
rights you’re usually looking backward. You can’t make progress when you’re
facing the wrong way! Only when you focus in the right direction will you move
in the right direction. Now this doesn’t mean you won’t experience pain, it
just means you choose to forgive, and zero in on what you can control—your attitudes and your opportunities.
Taken
from the Word for You Today Devotional
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