The above verse can be personalized this way: God's thoughts toward me are thoughts of peace that give me a future and a hope.
The word 'peace' here is 'shalom' in Hebrew, which can mean 'wellness, happy, friendly, friendship, welfare, health, prosperity, peace, rest, safety, wholesome, favor'. You know what? God's thoughts for you are not just thoughts of peace, but His thoughts for you are also thoughts of wellness. Not only that, He has happy thoughts for you, and He thinks favorably of you. His thoughts for you are thoughts of friendship. He also has your welfare, health, prosperity, rest, and safety in His mind. And His thoughts for you are wholesome thoughts! The above are some examples of what He thinks about you, and this is how good He is to you!
God has 'shalom' thoughts (i.e. good thoughts) for you. What you need to do is receive, and let His 'shalom' thoughts flow in you and through you. Open your 'gates' to His 'floodgates'. Just as God has good thoughts for you, He also wants you to have good thoughts as well. Choose to think as He thinks.
Interestingly, the word 'thoughts' in this verse is 'machashabah' in Hebrew, which can mean 'imagination or invention'. Wow! 'Thoughts' here means 'inventions'! So, when God has 'shalom' thoughts for you, it means He also invents peace, wellness, happiness, friendship, prosperity, wholeness, favor, etc in you. And this is exactly who you are as a believer, i.e. His shalom 'invention'! Shalom is yours. And shalom is your birthright!
God is definitely the greatest 'inventor' of all time. In fact, He has been in this 'inventing' business since the very beginning. For example, when He thought of 'light', He then said "Let there be light", and there was light! (Genesis 1:3) As a matter of fact, every great invention on earth (e.g. light bulb, motorcar, etc) that benefits all of humankind also began with a thought. That's how powerful thoughts can be!
Thoughts lead to actions (or words being spoken). Good thoughts lead to good actions, while bad thoughts lead to bad actions (e.g. a suicidal thought leads to a suicidal action).
So, what have you been thinking lately? Good thoughts or not so good thoughts? Or have you been too engrossed with thinking about what other people think of you? Too busy thinking about what other people think of you sometimes causes you to forget what God thinks about you!
A good thought is likened to the fragrance of nice, pleasant perfume diffusing and filling a room. Pleasant smell attracts, while foul smell distracts. Likewise, a good thought attracts, while a bad thought distracts. Thoughts are also very much like magnet. Thoughts either attract or 'push away'. The same it is with thoughts about other people. Good thoughts attract them to you, but bad thoughts cause them to stay away from you.
"But, pastor, how can I have good thoughts for that someone who has been bad-mouthing me behind my back?"
You can still choose to have good thoughts for that person. You may pray this way: "Lord, Your grace is more than enough for me, and I thank You for helping me. I choose to forgive _______ and I choose to have good thoughts for _______ in spite of what he/she has spoken against me."
As long as you are on this earth, there'll also be people who may criticize, complain, gossip, or murmur against you (or misunderstand you), but as long as you know God is with you, and you know you are just following His direction, what other people think about you really doesn't matter anymore! Continue to set your mind on Him. Continue to set your mind on what He has spoken for you to do. He'll surely back you up and defend you. Trust Him. This is how you are going to advance in life and fulfill your God-given destiny.
So, choose to think God's thoughts and good thoughts (see Colossians 3:2 and Philippians 4:8) no matter what. I conclude with Isaiah 26:3 (personalized): "God keeps me in perfect peace (shalom) because my mind is stayed on Him and I trust Him." Amen.
God is definitely the greatest 'inventor' of all time. In fact, He has been in this 'inventing' business since the very beginning. For example, when He thought of 'light', He then said "Let there be light", and there was light! (Genesis 1:3) As a matter of fact, every great invention on earth (e.g. light bulb, motorcar, etc) that benefits all of humankind also began with a thought. That's how powerful thoughts can be!
Thoughts lead to actions (or words being spoken). Good thoughts lead to good actions, while bad thoughts lead to bad actions (e.g. a suicidal thought leads to a suicidal action).
So, what have you been thinking lately? Good thoughts or not so good thoughts? Or have you been too engrossed with thinking about what other people think of you? Too busy thinking about what other people think of you sometimes causes you to forget what God thinks about you!
A good thought is likened to the fragrance of nice, pleasant perfume diffusing and filling a room. Pleasant smell attracts, while foul smell distracts. Likewise, a good thought attracts, while a bad thought distracts. Thoughts are also very much like magnet. Thoughts either attract or 'push away'. The same it is with thoughts about other people. Good thoughts attract them to you, but bad thoughts cause them to stay away from you.
"But, pastor, how can I have good thoughts for that someone who has been bad-mouthing me behind my back?"
You can still choose to have good thoughts for that person. You may pray this way: "Lord, Your grace is more than enough for me, and I thank You for helping me. I choose to forgive _______ and I choose to have good thoughts for _______ in spite of what he/she has spoken against me."
As long as you are on this earth, there'll also be people who may criticize, complain, gossip, or murmur against you (or misunderstand you), but as long as you know God is with you, and you know you are just following His direction, what other people think about you really doesn't matter anymore! Continue to set your mind on Him. Continue to set your mind on what He has spoken for you to do. He'll surely back you up and defend you. Trust Him. This is how you are going to advance in life and fulfill your God-given destiny.
So, choose to think God's thoughts and good thoughts (see Colossians 3:2 and Philippians 4:8) no matter what. I conclude with Isaiah 26:3 (personalized): "God keeps me in perfect peace (shalom) because my mind is stayed on Him and I trust Him." Amen.
