On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives.
First of all, the Word of God denounces such self-centered presumption:
"13Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. " (James 4: 13-17)
The Lord God is greater than past, present, and future, yet He intimately cares about everything that we do, have, and say. Why would be even think that we have to plan what we do in this life on our own?
The Bible offers and delivers better promises:
"For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." (2 Corinthians 2: 16)
and
"13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2: 13)
We trust ourselves to God, who has everything taken care of us for us, too:
"My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." (John 10: 29)
and
"He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. " (Psalms 23: 3)
Because of the New Covenant. we can and should do this:
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4: 16)
First of all, the Word of God denounces such self-centered presumption:
"13Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. " (James 4: 13-17)
The Lord God is greater than past, present, and future, yet He intimately cares about everything that we do, have, and say. Why would be even think that we have to plan what we do in this life on our own?
The Bible offers and delivers better promises:
"For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." (2 Corinthians 2: 16)
and
"13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2: 13)
We trust ourselves to God, who has everything taken care of us for us, too:
"My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." (John 10: 29)
and
"He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. " (Psalms 23: 3)
Because of the New Covenant. we can and should do this:
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4: 16)
We have the mind of Christ, and the peace of Christ acts as the right-standing judge in our lives, granting to us the simple knowledge of what He wants us to do, and where He wants us to go.
Like many passages in the "Big Book", the very idea that we ask God only to "direct our thinking" gives off the barren impression that God is limited and far away, not working intimately in and around and through us.
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