Chapter Ten Comments

                The Gate of Praiseworthy Thoughts...

In thinking about having thoughts on things that are praiseworthy.  The scripture verses in this chapter are real encouraging to me.  Ps 78:4. Encourages us to continue to share  things that the Lord has done in our lives with our children.  So many praises happen that we need to share with them so that not only we remember what the Lord has done so that our children can see what the Lord has done.
1 Peter1:7 says the trial of your faith being much more precious then gold and....found to be praiseworthy. Even though our trails are not enjoyable at the time.  As we endure grief and wrongfully sufferings it is praiseworthy it says in 1 Peter 2:19.  Ps 150 says that we are to praise Him ... in fact all of the verses say praise Him.....everything that has breath Praise the Lord.  Eph 1 where it says, to the praise of the glory of his grace...everything is from him and is worthy of praise.  Sometimes this is very hard to do.  This week in an attempt to praise the Lord in everything has been found to be difficult.  The stories in the chapter are very powerful. It speaks to me to do things in secret so not to draw attention to myself.  I hadn't heard the testimony of the couple that started the voice of the martyrs.  As I read it I wondered if I could do the same. Something to think about.
Blessings,
Cathy

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I was in a worldview class and the instructor was talking about how the secular construct of life always ends up borrowing from Christianity. Why? Because there are certain concepts and behaviors we instinctively recognize as praiseworthy. We feel them resound in our spirits as what is good and right. The same can be said when you look at secular media (books, movies, TV, reporting, etc.) They cannot help include what they know we marvel and praise when such actions are taken. A major example of this is self-sacrifice. Our lives are the most precious thing we possess and when someone is willing to risk that for the sake of another, it is praiseworthy. Why? Because

it reflects Christ and the love He gave us, placed in us, and expressed to us when He died on the cross. Every aspects of His character and nature is praiseworthy and when we see it anywhere else it triggers that same marvel and praise, even if it’s the criminal who pushes an innocent bystander out of the way of a bullet, the hero who gives the last of his food to his companion and goes hungry himself, the mom who stays up all night to keep her sick kid company, the dad who skips his golf game with his boss to go to his son’s basketball game instead, the older brother who in the middle of the night runs to sooth his baby brother back to sleep so his mom doesn’t have to, the list could go on and on. We are surrounded by praiseworthy acts and moments all reflecting Christ.

 

Given

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I am moved by the kindness of Ebed-Melech and hope that I would be so kind and courageous and the example of the life of Richard and Sabrina Wurmbrand.  The following three paragraphs stand out to me:

"Some praiseworthy acts are accomplished in the dark where no one notices.  These actions are particularly commendable because they are done with no hope of recognition or praise; they are just the natural behavior of people who are committed to the singular task of pleasing the God who has demonstrated His love for them.  These are particularly praiseworthy." pg 104

"While in solitary, Pastor Wurmbrand lived in squalid conditions, without books or other comforts and often in total darkness.  During this time when many would lose their sanity or surrender to self-pity he made it his practice each day to mentally compose a fresh sermon.  When the sermon was fully developed in his mind he would deliver it aloud to the darkness and when he had delivered it he would memorize an outline of it.  His spiritual and mental discipline was worthy of great praise."  pg 105  

And "Surely in all those years of torture and prison and harassment this couple must have encountered thoughts of revenge and bitterness and hatred.  Surely the walls of their minds must have seemed fragile in the face of a battering army of resentful and hostile thoughts, and yet their walls were strong and their gates well built.  We cannot know their minds, but their actions suggest that they had uncommon success in thinking about things that were true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admireable, excellent, and in the process, modeled for us something that was praiseworthy."

This verse blessed me, "These (trials) have come so that your faith--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."  I Peter 1:7

This chapter gave wonderful examples of praiseworthy things to think on.  I'm looking forward to the next chapter on taking thoughts captive.

Chapter Nine Comments - Excellent Thoughts

The Gate of Excellent Thoughts

This chapter begins with the following quote by Charles Swindoll:  "The secret of living a life of excellence is merely a matter of thinking thoughts of excellence.  Really, it's a matter of programming our minds with the kind of information that will set us free."

I appreciated the focus on forgiveness in this chapter.  This is a theme which I seem to need to visit again and again, maybe because the need for forgiveness in human relationships is so ongoing and necessary.  I was blessed by his explanation of forgetting as not remembering in contrast to not having any memory of a thing, it is instead the renewing of our minds to not recall it or seek revenge.

"This is hard spiritual labor.  Not remembering means coping with the insidious attacks of memory that would bring the offense to mind over and over.  It means taking control of our thoughts with the personal discipline necessary to avoid talking about the forgiven offense, to pass up any opportunity to remind the offender of the offense or to allow it to interfere with our relationship.  It is tough.  It was tough for Jesus, who sweat blood in the Garden of Gethsemane at the very thought of enduring the physical and spiritual pain required to forgive us.   And it is tough for us, but it is a thing of excellence."

I loved the quote by Mark Twain, "Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."  That is what I want to characterize my life and I have a LONG WAY TO GO!!


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Excellent thoughts:  So often our thoughts miss the mark of Philippians 4:8.  Paul's letter to ask them "what are you thinking about?" hasn't changed for us today.  It has been a roller coaster ride with thoughts this week. The author's writing about forgiveness is so good.  It is such a blessing that God doesn't remember our sins.  I have tried this week to not remember some of the things I have done and it is not easy for me.  It is hard spiritual labor. The story of Jacob and Fuchida is an incredible story. Praise the Lord for the "Black Book" that gives us the excellent word.  I have been blessed lately with the all the studying I have had in the past and how I can recall different passages and be blessed or instructed by them.
The idea in this verse speaks to me but I tried looking it up and I know it is not Titus in the King James or NIV  (if any one knows where it comes from I would be interested in knowing).
 
 "I want you to stress these things, so that those who have   trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing      what is good.  These things are excellent and profitable for everyone."





     Titus 3:5
Thinking excellent thoughts
Blessings
Cathy

Chapter 8 Comments

Comments have really fallen off - I'm not sure if that is because we are all busy with Spring things.  I'd like to hear from more of you on this next chapter later this week.  I've started it and am already convicted!  It's a much-needed message - I look forward to hearing your responses to it.

Thank you, Given and Cathy for your faithfulness - Given, your comments have been in my inbox for 10 days already and I was glad to get yours today, Cathy!! 

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How can we better focus on admirable things? Well, one of the things I loved about attending Ellerslie Bible School is the focus on who God really is. It's easy to just be like, well yeah, He’s God, and just leave it at that, but to really study who He is and all that He loves and desires and has done is to find what is of “euphemos” of good repute. When asked the question who or what do you admire I often struggle to answer, because often I admire part but not the whole. It’s not this way with God, all of Him is admirable, and that is wonderfully amazing.

Given

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This chapter on admirable thoughts was very encouraging to me.  He starts out with the question "Hey what are you thinking?"  I have found since we started this book I have been asking that question of myself lately.  What is it that I am thinking about  there is a whole list in the first paragraph:  finances, responsibilities, and fears and anxieties are the ones
that get me off on tangents.

The thoughts we need to have are the ones that would be a  Good Report. Things that have the character and quality that is worth talking about. Things that are commendable.
The story of the women with the 2 mites means so much more after reading the background on the chests that were called "trumpets" because of the shape and causing a sound when the coins were dropped in to it.  The 2 mites could not have made the sound that the other coins would have but Jesus heard them because they were given from the heart. The story of Glenn Cunningham is one that speaks to me.  He never gives up. He  continued to persevere. When we read the account of the three Hebrew men I have realized that they were truly blessed.  They stood for what was right which was admirable in an of itself.  God chose to use them in a deeper way by not dying in the furnace and witnessing to the king. 

Been thinking on doing things with my whole heart, persevering and doing what is right so God can use me.
Blessings to all
Cathy
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I appreciated the stories he gave as examples of things that are admirable to think on.  This gate isn't just a gate to keep out what is not admirable, but a gate to welcome in that which is worthy of our thoughts.  So many things influence what we will spend time thinking about.  I think books, movies, and friends all play a very important role in providing admirable things to think on along with time in the Word.  As we raise our children we are helping them learn what to choose to think on.  Our conversations as well as our book choices for them will play a part in what the whole family thinks about.  I feel blessed to live in an age when so many good books are available to us.  

I appreciated the quote on perserverance -
"Perserverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other." -Walter Elliot  It's easy to get discouraged and tired when we need to keep on keeping on, but this reminds me, I only have to conquer this bit at this moment.  God's grace is sufficient for this moment and the many moments add up to a life.  

Blessings on your week and I hope to hear from more of you this coming week.  Blessings, Patti
  
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Chapter Eight Study Guide

Chapter 8   The Gate of Admirable Thoughts

Define “euphemos”-

How is Paul’s intended meaning different than the English word euphemism?

Think about who you admire and why.  What character qualities are admirable to you?

Manningham takes us again to the quality of self-sacrifice.  Read the story of the widow’s offering in Mark 12:41-44.  How did Jesus get to the motives behind the actions?  Refer to verses 38-40 for more insight into Jesus’ view of the religious leaders’ motives.

When have you given self-sacrificially or witnessed another giving in this way (it could be gifts of time or talents, not necessarily financial)?  How does self-sacrifice make us feel?

What is the difference between perseverance and patience?  

How did Glenn Cunningham live out Isaiah 40:31?  

In what ways can we persevere in our own circumstances?

Read the familiar story of  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3.  What do you admire about these three young men?

The world is full of negative, distressing thoughts, but God wants us to focus our minds instead on what is admirable.  Are there ways that you can change your thinking to better focus on this quality?

Choose a quote and a Bible verse from pp. 136 & 137 to meditate on.

Chapter Seven Comments

Chapter Seven is Lovely Thoughts - Here are our comments:

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I am enjoying the study on Lovely thoughts this week. The idea of lovely being "toward a deep and moving affection" was so useful. I always read that word as thinking on things beautiful, not bad in itself, but being moved to affection makes much more sense. 

The quote by Brian Tracy, “The value of a relationship is in direct proportion to the time that you invest in the relationship.” was also good food for thought. 

The study on pure thoughts last week was also a blessing. Being crushed isn’t very pleasant, yet the refining work of His Holy Spirit is precious beyond measure. James 1:2-4!!  Eileen

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I had the thought, there is so much UNLOVELY in today's world -- that it takes deliberate effort and time to pull the lovely into your days and thoughts . . .

The quote at the beginning: "...thinking determines life."  is so very true.  I tell Monica when we're trying to get Math done, "stay on the Math path" -- like you're walking a puppy on a leash (your mind being the puppy) and you just need to keep PULLING it back...pull it back...

I've always loved the story of the woman washing Jesus' feet . . . her abandonment and spontaneity, her lavish love . . . He was her "soul-satisfying treasure."  "She could see both where she had been and where she was" -- and that was why she wept . . . . beautiful!

And the flash of the rainbow was amazing.  Love that thought!                                  Hope

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This was an encouraging chapter for me these last week.  There are number of paragraphs that stood out to me.  Movement toward things that are worthy of affection is a very powerful definition.  If something is true, honest, just, and pure it will move us toward things that are worthy of affection.
The first paragraph speaks so much like what is happening in peoples lives today.  It is considered wrong if you don't accept everyone's point of view.  I am so glad that healthy and holy thinking began in the beginning and Paul wrote this verse we are studying. Many times when you hear a great story you are encouraged to do or think lovely thoughts. (bottom of Pg 70)  On the top of Pg 71 one was so good "to meditate on the love of God, His mercy, my forgiven sin and the love that binds sinners to the Savior.  Creates lovely thoughts.  I was blessed by the quote and desiring to be more like the candle:

"A candle is a lovely thing:
It makes not noise at all,
But softly gives itself away"
Blessings, Cathy

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 The things that are worthy of affection, let my mind dwell on these things. There are so many beautiful stories in the Bible and in this world, yet in our own lives and in the news particularly we seem to focus on the ugly and depressing things like what we didn’t get to do or what bad is happening. I think one of the most beautiful things about the Bible is that all of if even the stuff spoken in the midst of

darkness points always to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In every story there is the promise of Jesus Christ. The way Joseph forgave his brothers, Boaz taking and providing for Ruth, and one of my favorites, the way people come to Jesus on behalf of someone else (like we do in prayer), often a child or servant, and Jesus helps them.

Yes, there is beauty in a night sky full of stars, but there is also beauty in the face of someone who is sick yet who trusts

God to walk with them through it. There is beauty in the face of a peacefully sleeping child, and also in the face of a child who has repented of their wrong and seeking to now do the right thing. When we look for it, beauty is everywhere.

Given

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I loved this paragraph: "Sometimes lovely is common like the beauty of creation, or more intense and complex like a broken prostitute delivered from herself, or deeply moving like faith and creativity in the face of personal adversity.  Lovely is whatever draws us into that sense of prosphiles, of being drawn toward something worthy of a strong sense of affection; something that reveals the loveliness and magnificence of a great Creator. When God looks at the redeemed, He sees the loveliness of Jesus."  So much of life is in how we "see" it how we interpret it we need to look at life through the lovely lense of Jesus Christ - He changes everything!  He puts possibility and hope into every dark scene.  There is so much in our world that is dark and ugly and evil, but even though I am more aware of this now than ever before this past year has been a year of joy for me because of the miracle changes in Anna - it has changed the way I view life, it has given me confidence to pray strong prayers and to have faith for marvelous answers.  Lovely thoughts - this is where I want to dwell!   Patti

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Chapter Seven Study Guide

Chapter Seven     The Gate of Lovely Thoughts

The word translated lovely that Paul uses in Philippians 4:8 is used only once in the New Testament.  What does it mean?  (p. 68)

There are many stories in the Bible whose characters endear us to them as examples of men and women who lived out Godly principles under difficult circumstances.  Share a few of your favorites:

Read Luke 7:36-50.  This story is a beautiful example of the love of God which binds each of us to our Savior.  Manningham focuses on three things in the action of this woman.  Comment on each:

1.  Her sacrifice-

2.  Her disregard for social and religious customs-

3.  Her tears-

How does God’s love touch your heart?

What are some of the ways you have witnessed God’s glory?  What gives you a sense of wonder?

The author gives three examples of people who lacked outer beauty but possessed a quality of inner loveliness.  How can we match our thinking to God’s rather than having the shallow view of the world’s in this area?  

How do humans as God’s created beings express this attribute of loveliness through things that we produce (in the Arts, for example)?  Why are these expressions important to our society?  How might they be used in worship of God?

Meditate on Psalm 145:5:   “On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works, I will meditate.”

Chapter Six Comments

Sorry this is late - we went out of town unexpectedly....  But here are your thoughts on this chapter....  Hope to hear from more of you this next week....  I'll send out the questions for next week tomorrow morning. 

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Quite a chapter!! Here are my thoughts on thinking what is pure:

This chapter was so good - it was a real blessing and encouragement.  The authors examples of the gold mine and John Newton were very good and so many things can be taken from them. It spoke to me about how the Israelites were now in the Promised Land and they had the temple set according to Gods design.  They had begun to do what the law had required for them to be pure (right) with God yet their hearts were not pure.  God started to teach them what they needed to do to cleanse their hearts.  To do things with their whole heart.  So often I can do the physical things that are before me but where are my thoughts.  Are they pure thoughts? Before reading this book I hadn't even considered that my thoughts were wrong.  Now  I can ask if my thoughts are what God would want or what
self would want. The section on faith was also very good.  The verse from Rom 10:17 has spoken to me for a long time "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."  The word is Jesus because it says in John 1:1 that "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." He speaks to us and we hear and do what he wants us to do.  When we do that our faith is stronger.  I like the sentence(pg64) that says "without some stabilizing faith in those things we would live in a state of paralyzed indecision and fear about every detail of life.  When I feel like I am in a
paralyzed indecision and/or have fear than I know my faith at that moment is not stable.  Then I know to pray for the Lord to give me ears to hear what He has for me to do. I also like "Humility is pure."  The Lord has made us who we are for a
purpose and has put in us something that makes us a part of the whole body. Very thankful that God fills in and makes us more than we are so that we can minister to others.  The quote by Oswald Chambers is also good,  "There is a difference between innocence and purity. Innocence is the characteristic of a child: Purity is the characteristic of a man or woman who knows what the tendencies and temptations to go wrong are and who has overcome them."

Blessings,
Cathy

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I was intrigued by the example of the gold mines in its relation to pure thoughts. Purity isn’t an easy process, yet I tend to see things as if they should just be pure not in light of them needing to be purified. When God allows blasting to take place in a part of my life and a whole truck load of hopes and dreams trucked off, my thoughts usually turn toward the impure. I question His love, His motives, His faithfulness, His care, because here all this stuff is happening and He isn’t stopping it, and yet the purity comes when we allow Him to take all that stuff in our lives and refine it and remove all that is just dirt and get to what is actually the gold. Gaining this perspective helps me to filter my thoughts for those that are pure, in the recognition that what He is doing is for good, as He has promised.

Given

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Chapter 6 Study Guide

Chapter 6     The Gate of Pure Thoughts

Define purity-

Give synonyms for purity-

Why was outward purity such an integral part of Old Testament worship?

Why did the ritual purity of the Old Testament fall short?  (p. 57)

How did God’s desire for His people’s hearts to be pure come through the message of the prophets?

In what way did the message of purity change from the Old to the New Testament?        (p. 58)  

Just like the process of extracting gold from the ground and purifying it, our “raw materials” need refining to make us pure.  Read Revelation 3:14-22 and comment on the three metaphors used and what you think they represent.

1.

2.

3.

How do we extract the gold from the host of thoughts that clamor at the gates of our minds?  (p. 63)

How do the following qualities produce and reflect God’s purity in us?  Give a Scripture to support each.

Faith-

Humility-

Forgiveness-

Patience-

Chapter 5 Comments

Dear Friends and Family:

How is the study going for you?  I'm really enjoying each chapter, they're short and easy to read but have lots to think about....  I read this chapter twice which I think was good.... I'd love to hear from a few more of you this next week even if it's just a sentence or paragraph.... 

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The verses that spoke to me this week were:
Ps 51:10  "Create in me a clean heart, O God and

renew a right spirit in within me."  In thinking about this verse I haven't until this week thought it to be a
just Spirit. It makes sense in that I can ask for clean heart but His Spirit will have to be working in me with a just response instead of the old way of thinking.  When we pray this prayer to have God created in us a clean heart and give us a right Spirit it is only possible by God and His Holy Spirit to do that in us.   A good test is to see if we are looking at this justly of if we go back to our old habits.
Ps 33:5 also speaks to me in that the Lord loves righteousness and justice. He loves those two things according to this verse so we are thinking thoughts that are righteous and just we are in His love.
"Right thoughts lead to righteous character and there are multiple promises regarding that:"  looking forward to having more true, honest and just thoughts which not only changes our minds but our hearts too.  (taken from pg 52)
Blessings,  Cathy

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Synonyms: impartial, nondiscriminatory, reasonable, correct, ethical,

Antonyms: wrong, unethical, incorrect, partial, unjust, discriminatory.
 

Our desire to do what is right, I believe, is often influenced and compromised when we become part of and desire to remain part of a group that doesn’t hold to what is right, because now we don’t just have the normal pressure of the situation now we also have the added pressure of friends telling us not to worry about it, that it’s not a big deal and too much trouble to go back and pay the cashier who only charged you for one meal and not the three that were ordered.

And it’s also influenced by the society as a whole assuming there is always some twist to a scenario that could make something wrong now right, or right now wrong and the assumption that all people look out for their own self-interests first and are extremely strange if they actually act on behalf of the interests of a total stranger. Our society doesn’t seem to sees anything wrong about someone walking by someone getting mugged. In fact, society might even applaud you for thinking of yourself and your own safety first.

Jesus demonstrated facing unjust authority when (Matthew 12:9-14) He knew the Pharisees were very strict about people not doing work on the Sabbath and would keep people from even doing what was right on the Sabbath, and so He defied their authority and did what was right by healing a man’s hand.

I love the verse that “The prospects of the righteous are joy” (Proverbs 10:28) We may not have gotten any financial benefit when we returned that wallet we found in the parking lot,

but, in returning it, we get the joy of not only knowing we did what was right but also that we pleased God, helped that person, and we get to partake in their joy in receiving their wallet back with everything still in it.
                Given


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 Pondering on thoughts of "just" thoughts I realize that I have a lot of thoughts about what is just and fair, I think a lot of people do.  He talked a lot about desiring justice for others, but I am unfortunately a lot more concerned with justice for me than I am about justice for "the other guy".  I have a strongly developed sense of justice, rightness and what ought to be. I pride myself on doing the "right thing"  and I don't know what to do with thoughts that others aren't acting according to this sense of right.  As I ponder this I realize that I easily forget that the cross is where justice is found and it is only Christ's righteousness that covers me adequately therefore, I need to consider His righteousness an adequate cover for my "brother" .... Justice and thoughts of right start with Jesus and are only really possible through Him.  

I also pondered this chapter in terms of education.  This quote, "It is the mission of the teacher, not to make his pupils think, but to make them think right."  - H.L.Mencken  I listened to part of a podcast - Fairy Tales and the Moral Imagination this week and think it connects in some way.  He says that giving children stories like this help them to have true and right understanding of Kingdom principles.  Children need to be helped to think "Right" thoughts.  The things we choose to read to them and encourage them to read will help develop right thinking.  Of course these principles work for our own thinking as well - what we expose ourselves to affect our thinking.

 

chapter 5 Study Guide

Chapter 5 The Gate of RIGHT Thoughts

People use the word “right” in expressions like “That’s right” or “I know, right?” or “Right!”  Each has it’s own connotation, and the meaning can change just by the way they are said.  But Paul is getting at a specific meaning for right with the Greek word he chose.  Write down the meaning and then several synonyms and antonyms to help clarify  the word.

Definition:

Synonyms (similar meanings)

Antonyms (opposite meaning)

What are some of the ways that convictions might be influenced or compromised in the society in which we live?

Milgram’s experiments show that many people are more concerned with obeying authority than following their conscience to do what is right.  How do we see the evidence of that in our history books on down to the present time?  (Give 3 examples)

1.

2.

3.

Now for each of these examples, can you think of a person or group in that time period who chose to follow the moral imperatives of justice and fairness regardless of personal sacrifice?  Elaborate.

1.

2.

3.

 What are some  examples from Scripture of people who acted rightly in a difficult situation?

Think about Jesus’ ministry on earth.  How did He demonstrate righteousness and justice in the face of unjust authority?   Record several references to share.

How are we called as believers to stand for what is right?  When might it be appropriate for us to defy authority?  Share from your personal experiences.

How can policing our thoughts to think what is right help us to become people with “righteous character”?  Choose a couple of the promises from p. 52 that are meaningful to you and record them here.  

How will you determine to fill your mind with thoughts of what is right in order to clarify your thinking and be a person who stands against the tide for the sake of what is just?

Chapter 4 Insights

I missed hearing from quite a few of you this week - thanks to those who wrote in!  You can send your entries in late - I'll add them in, or just get started on next weeks....

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What stood out to me most about this chapter is that when our thoughts have the quality that is honest.  (Thinking about others before self.)  When we are thinking on honest things then we are thinking about others and that will attract and invite others to seek the Lord.  Self-denial is what is repeated throughout this chapter.  Our thoughts are not honest if we are not denying self. Romans 12:10 "Be kindly affectioned one  to another with brotherly love in honor preferring one another."

Jesus has done the most noble/honest thing in dieing for us on the cross and making a way for us.   The last paragraph on page 43 sums  it up for me "Surely there is no example more noble and more honorable that the sovereign God sending His son to die for me.  I was spiritually blind and He gave me sight.  I was morally diseased and He brought me healing.  I was lame and He taught me to walk.  I was hungry and thirsty and He gave me eternal food and drink.  And all of this He did by grace, mercy, kindness and compassion. Praise the Lord.  Helen Keller's quote is good too.  To be humble.

 Cathy

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The idea of choosing noble thoughts makes me think of my favorite educational "mentor" Charlotte Mason who taught that one of the goals of education was to give children noble things to think about.  Choosing books carefully for our children to read that will foster noble thoughts has been one of my goals. 

Being a book-lover I have found much inspiration to noble thoughts through wonderful books.  But the flip side is that I must choose to reject thoughts that are NOT noble.  Some things may be true, but are they noble, too?

I like this sentence from page 42, "Noble thoughts are beautiful because they are so rare and so wholesome."  and the quote by Alan Loy McGinnis, "There is no more noble occupation in the world than to assist another human being--to help someone succeed."  My dad modeled this so beautifully.  He got to know people and their heart goals and ministry gifts and then did what he could to help them along in these things, quietly, behind the scenes equipping and helping others to succeed for the good of the Kingdom and the glory of God. 

"A noble man compares and estimates himself by an idea which is higher than himself; and a mean man, by one lower than himself." - Henry Ward Beecher

 Patti

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These two quotes really stuck out to me:
"The noble man makes noble plans and by noble deeds he stands." -First he is noble, then he plans nobly, then his deeds prove his inward quality...
"Every noble crown is, and on earth will forever be, a crown of thorns." -Just like Christ!

Cherish

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Define Noble:  Honest, honorable, grave in the sense of serious and important; an honor that can stand the test of eternity; being awe inspiring in a way that invites and attracts.

Dict.: Having high moral principles and ideals.  Synonyms-righteous, virtuous, good, honorable, upright, decent, worthy, moral, ethical

Why are truly noble thoughts so rare? (p. 38)  They are rare because they always involve self-denial and we tend to look out for our own interests.  It isn’t possible to be noble without thinking of God and others first.

Read the stories of the two biblical examples and describe how each lived out this character quality:

Joseph (Jacob’s son) Genesis 39

Joseph was noble as Potiphar’s servant, upright and ethical in the management of his master’s affairs, bringing about God’s blessing.  When Potiphar’s wife propositioned him, he tried to reason with her.  His explanation was noble; he told her that his master trusted him with everything in his entire household and had held back nothing except his wife.  He told her he could never do such a wicked thing because it would be a great sin against God.  It’s interesting that he tried to appeal to her sense of virtue.  Apparently she didn’t live by the same moral code.

Q:  Does God want us to try and explain the reasons we don’t take part in certain activities as a way of being a testimony for him?  How do we do that without sounding self-righteous?

Potiphar’s wife kept pursuing Joseph day after day, and he tried to stay out of her way as much as possible as he went about his work.  Even when she grabbed him and demanded that he sleep with her, he chose the moral high ground and ran to escape her.   

Q:  When confronted with temptation, what are some ways of escape?     I Corinthians 10:13

Even though Joseph did everything that was noble in this situation, he still paid the price for someone else’s sin.  

Q:  How do we act when we pay the price for the wrong choices of another?  What  kind of response would show we are developing noble character?

Joseph continued to hold up his head and persevere even in prison where he found favor with the jailer and was put in a position of authority and responsibility.  Most people’s tendency would be to grow bitter or give up, but Joseph continued to be faithful to God and rose above his circumstances.  He was truly a man of noble character, consistently living in a way that brought honor to God.

Joseph (Mary’s husband) Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph was engaged to Mary; he found out she was pregnant and since he hadn’t slept with her, he must have assumed that another man had.  He could have publicly disgraced her, but instead he planned to break the engagement quietly.  The passage calls him a just man.  When the angel appeared to him, and told him that the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Joseph believed and took Mary as his wife.  He didn’t sleep with her until after Jesus was born.  These were selfless acts that put the will of God above his own.

Matthew 2:13-15  Joseph took his family to a foreign land at God’s command to protect Jesus from Herod. When they were able to return he couldn’t settle back in Bethlehem  because Herod’s son was a threat to Jesus’ safety, so he took his family to Nazareth.  We don’t think about the personal cost to Joseph, but he gave up living in the city of his ancestry, lived in exile, and had to start over in a new town.  He was noble in his self-sacrifice.

The author encourages us to have a gallery of noble thoughts and deeds as examples to us.  He gives us two such examples in his stories of  Petty Officer Clark and Jim & Elisabeth Elliot.  Who has inspired you and deserves a place in your Noble Gallery?  Explain.

If being selfless makes one noble, then my dad was a wonderful example.  He was always thinking of others and putting others’ interests first.  He was such a godly man, living to honor God.  I witnessed many times how he sought to do the right thing even when it wasn’t the easy thing.

Who is our ultimate example of noble deeds?   Do you have a verse or passage that best represents this for you? Jesus Christ is our ultimate example.  His self-sacrifice and servant attitude show us how to be noble.  He lived that way on earth and ultimately died on the cross to selflessly redeem us.  His thoughts were fixed on the will of His Father and motivated Him to follow through with His plan to be the ultimate sacrifice for mankind.

Philippians 2:7, 8

Read the verses and quotes on pp. 128, 129.   Comment on one or two that are meaningful to you.

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves.”  Romans 12;10

“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble.”  --Helen Keller

What adjustments will you make in your thinking to become more noble?

Serve others without any expectation of recognition; look for ways to bless the lives of others.  Appreciate the sacrifices of others.

Jenn

Chapter 4 Study Guide Questions

Oops!  I sent out my sister's answers instead of the questions by mistake - so hear are the questions....

Chapter 4     The Gate of Noble Thoughts

Define Noble:  

Why are truly noble thoughts so rare? (p. 38)

Read the stories of the two biblical examples and describe how each lived out this character quality:

Joseph (Jacob’s son) Genesis 39

Joseph (Mary’s husband) Matthew 1:18-25

The author encourages us to have a gallery of noble thoughts and deeds as examples to us.  He gives us two such examples in his stories of  Petty Officer Clark and Jim & Elisabeth Elliot.  Who has inspired you and deserves a place in your Noble Gallery?  Explain.

Who is our ultimate example of noble deeds?   Do you have a verse or passage that best represents this for you?

Read the verses and quotes on pp. 128, 129.   Comment on one or two that are meaningful to you.

What adjustments will you make in your thinking to become more noble?

Chapter 3 Insights

I was blessed by this chapter and I appreciate all your insights, too...  Thanks for sharing!  I'll post the study guide questions for next week tomorrow.  Blessings on your week....

Barring the gate of my mind to Satan's lies is tricky business.  The angel of lies can come up with all kinds of rationalizations that make his lies believable.  Make life feel safer.  Give me more control.  And they slip in.  It's not black and white.  There's so much gray slime that slips in around the edges of my mind.  I like this:  "Send forth Your light and Your truth, and let them guide me."  I need that for all the gray slime.

The gates are lined up - thoughts must pass through them all -- a neat picture -- phenomenal thought.  Definitely, just because something is true, does not mean it should be said. 

also -- the story of the missing horse and the old man's open handed acceptance of what God gave or took away is a favorite of mine.  "Today I am okay." (p.33)  I will just live today in God's care.  That is all i need.                             Hope

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Doubts don’t just affect one area in our relationship with God, if we doubt whether He answers ours prayers, then we doubt whether He does what He says He will do. If we doubt Him keeping His word, than we doubt if He even speaks the truth, and if we doubt whether He speaks the truth than we doubt Scripture itself. If we doubt Scripture, than we doubt if there even is a God at all.

Basically, to entertain the lies of Satan even for a moment and open ourselves to doubt is to turn our back on God.

I loved his idea of planting something physical to remind ourselves of what we know to be true, because so often we do need this reminder. I have events in my past that whenever Satan tries to feed doubt into my mind I can point to those happenings and say, “Really, Satan? Don’t you remember when this happened? That’s right; there is no other explanation for that one. So get gone, because I know God and He knows me.”

Instead of “what if...’s” we can remind ourselves of His truth, that He is always faithful. He has promised to provide what we need. He is all-powerful and can take care of all our problems. He desires what is best for us. He will enable us to do whatever He sets before us. His grace is sufficient. No trial will be too much for us. He is our tower of refuge and strength. He is a very present help in times of trouble. We can call on Him in our need. Etc.

When we live in His truths there really is no need to fear, and for me “what if…’s” are usually my fears in any particular situation.

Given

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Here are a few thoughts I had from the study.
I appreciated the Chinese proverb about when bad things seem to happen it may be for our good or protection in the future.  Like when his son got crippled and than the next year he did not have to go to war as others did and so his life was spared.Talking about not worrying for the future but accepting what comes each day. 

  I also appreciated the quote by A.W. and J.C.Hare ''The Question Is not whether a doctrine is beautiful but whether it is true. When we wish to go to a place, we do not ask whether the road leads through a pretty country, but whether it is the right road."

                                 Lizzy

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 After reading this chapter I have realized that it is so important to look for the truth in whatever situation we find ourselves.  It is so easy for me to include fiction, doubt, half truths, misinterpretations or imaginations into what I am thinking.
"What if".... It is important to focus on what is true and not what it might be.  The example of the Chinese Proverb spoke to me .  Just because something happens does not imply that something else is going happen.  It just is.  Think on these things...... thoughts that are authentic, valid, reliable, legitimate, genuine, and correct.  I liked the farmers story because I have always remembered the day that I accepted the Lord as my Savior.  Having that remembrance I haven't doubted that I am His child.  It is good to put that sign on this road we walk. 

Now I have added another sign that says,  "Whatever is true..... think on these things. " Psalm 43 : 3  "Send out thy light and thy truth:  let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill and thy tabernacles."  This verse speaks to me that He leads us by His light and truth.  He draws us to "his holy hill and thy tabernacles" which is Him.  He is truth.

                              Cathy

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"To treat your facts with imagination is one thing: to imagine your facts is another." - John Burroughs

"One set of lies that frequently attacks the truth gate is the fertile imagination of "what if---."  I think I've been guilty of extrapolation and assumption - thinking that because something is this way now it will be the same or worse in the future, or because I have experienced something one way, that is how it is in total reality.  I've accepted things as true, when perhaps it wasn't the WHOLE truth.... Two examples of this being proven false follow:  Recently when Rachael was having her seizures I was talking to a friend moments after the doctor had told me that medical help wouldn't be available at least until after the weekend.  I was crushed wondering how we could make it until Monday. When I shared this information with our friend he stated a true fact - "There are people who have grand-mal seizures six times a day for years with no medical answers."  I was devastated by his words.  This true fact did not turn out to be true to our experience - PRAISE GOD - His mercy turned the tide that very night and that "truth" didn't have to be my truth. Perhaps TRUTH is bigger than the bits and pieces I see and experience - thus faith comes into play.  The other time is a statement I made that looked true, but turned out to be far from truth as it turned out.  When Anna was rebellious and living wild, we met with our Pastor and his wife and when they said we should let go and focus on the children we had still at home.  I looked at him and said, "They have experienced some of the same things that sent her into rebellion, it looks to me like it will just be dominoes from here on out."  I truly felt hopeless at that time, but from the vantage point of a couple years later, I can see that I didn't take into account the miracles that God can do.  Anna is walking with Him, Sarah is taking hard stands among her friends because she sees them as Biblical, she has a strong personal relationship with Jesus and is growing in many areas.  Mary got saved and has begun to exhibit the gift of intercessory prayer.  Ruthie and John both prayed committing their lives to the LORD this past year and are asking spiritual questions.  So the dominoes have fallen, but in a completely different direction than I anticipated.  I was basing my thoughts on what I perceived as truth, but the truth turned out to be much bigger than the little part I was seeing.  It reminds me of the poem where the blind men of India try to describe an elephant - each by the part they are experiencing.  I'm not saying we can't know truth - that's what the Bible is all about and Jesus said, "I AM the truth."  He is the measure of truth, what He says, what He thinks, not what others say or how I feel.  I guess my conclusion would be that I need to try to see things through Jesus' eyes to know how they line up with truth, to draw near to Him, to "stand firm then with the belt of truth around (my) waist."

   

It was helpful to have him point out that the gates don't just go around the perimeter as I had been picturing gates in the wall, but rather consecutive one followed by another, so our thoughts get sorted by each and all the characteristics before they are let in.

                                           Patti

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It was a really good reminder for me this week to remember to focus on what is true. As I'm facing half-truths and sorta-truths and well-it-looks-pretty-so-it-
must-be-truths on all sides at school, I feel like I need to do what Paul did among the Corinthians, for my own sanity:  purpose to know nothing but Christ, and Him crucified. It doesn't matter if anything else is beautiful, it's the wrong road. I must build all my thoughts on the foundation of Christ, with nothing else allowed!
-Cherish