Edify

All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us.

J.R.R. Tolkien

“Edify-Make your first thought/action positive.” (Brent Crowe) When this statement was first presented to me it was in the context of how to grow and become a better leader; but let me tell you, applying this to other areas of my life had made some tremendous changes! Applying it to work, hard assignments, and even cleaning my room. As I thought about why this phrase was so impactful and helpful I realized that it was rooted in something I had been taught my whole life. “Sin and righteousness are matters of the heart”

Let me take a minute to explain a basic understanding of the heart so that we can better understand why each of these sayings matter. Your thoughts effect your desires/feelings, your feelings effect your actions and your actions effect your thoughts. It all goes round and round in a circle, each aspect influences the others. In Student Ministries (our form of youth group) we called it Keith’s Heart.

Example time, if you go into a project, a situation, or a chore with a negative mindset you will not be surprised to see the worst. My Mom would often tell my siblings and I that you see what you look for. If you are looking for the worst in a situation or person then you will see the worst. Feeling like the laundry never ends, school is impossible, and that “these people” are just…the worst is exactly what you will get. Because of your negative view of laundry, it will feel worse than it really is! “The clothes just aren’t folding right! Why are these still damp? These orange socks do not belong in the same load as the towels!” The way you think about things is going to change how you feel, and act toward things, and people.

Let’s use a real life example of how changing your thoughts about something can change your whole perspective. Two years ago (the beginning of my junior year) I started taking dual-credit classes at my local community college. This meant my classes were harder than the previous years and that there was more work (especially for American History). I had to figure out a way to make myself enjoy studying PAGES of notes AND power point slides. I convinced myself that my notes were cool (by telling myself they were well written, cute, and that they would help me in the future), and that if I went back through them and highlighted important points, people would think I was well put-together student that was working hard to make good grades (which was basically what I was…but maybe not to well put-together). I would execute this plan by studying at Chick-fil-a every Tuesday + whenever my friends and I got together to study; and guess what? I loved it! I really enjoyed studying my notes, writing my papers, and preparing for tests. Because I thought positively about these actions, and forced myself to do them, my feelings followed right along so that I liked what I was doing

We have to be careful with what we let our minds dwell on and how we let our minds dwell. My brother in-law Seth Jones said “think about where your mind goes when you are just sitting, laying in bed, not actively thinking about anything. That is more than likely your God.” It is SOOO important to control our thoughts as they become our desires and actions. How we think about the future effects what we do in the future, how we think about people effects how we treat them, and how we think about situations effects how we approach them. Over and over again in the Bible we are commanded to be pure in heart, in thought, in deed. Romans 8:5 says “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” Colossians 3:2 says “Set your mind on things that are above, not the things that are on earth.” Matthew 5:8 says “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” These same “Pure Heart Principles” can also be seen in 2 Corinthians 4:18, Matthew 5:3-10 (the rest of the Be attitudes), all of Exodus 20, Galatians 5:22-25, and many many more places throughout the Bible. This really is not an exhaustive, or even tip of the iceberg kind of list. These a few examples of our call to be pure.

So here it is. Make your first thought and action positive, setting your mind on things above, and loving (really loving, this means sacrificing for) those around you; not because you want to be liked, or lead a “good” life, but because this what our Savior has commanded. This is how we serve well, love well, and worship well. This is how we live out the gospel well.