Friday; August 3

Have you noticed how easy it is to attach our contentment to the world around us?  Sometimes our happiness is influenced by how people treat us, but other times our joy is influenced by how people treat those we respect.  Yes, this can be tied to those we know personally, but we can also be influenced by people’s opinions of those we know merely by reputation.  Maybe it is a government leader, a Hollywood personality, a social activist or even a sports hero.  There are times we might be emboldened by the positive press they receive while others times we might be embittered because we feel they are being vilified.  It is natural to react to the fairness we see in the world, but the truth of the matter is that we tend to overreact when our favorite personality gets too much or too little respect.
As I was looking through the Bible the other day I came to realize that this phenomenon is not unique to our life and times.  Centuries ago King David observed, “Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord, O my soul!   I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.  Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.” (Psalm 146:1-3)  Our goal should be to praise God, not allow our spirits to be raised or dashed by people’s perception of mere men. 
Are we focused on our response to God’s presence in our lives?  His is the only relationship that has eternal consequences.
Think About It!

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