Living With Purpose

Living With Purpose

Phil. 4:8

It seems he noticed how this one particular fellow named Sam consistently caught more fish than anyone else. Whereas the other guys would only catch three or four a day, Sam would come in off the lake with a boat full. Stringer after stringer was always packed with freshly caught trout.

The warden, curious, asked Sam his secret. The successful angler invited the game warden to accompany him and observe. So the next morning the two met at the dock and took off in Sam’s boat. When they got to the middle of the lake, they stopped the boat and the warden sat back to see how it was done. Sam’s approach was simple. He took out a stick of dynamite, lit it, and threw it in the air. The explosion rocked the lake with such a force that dead fish immediately began to surface. Sam took out a net and started scooping them up.

Well, you can imagine the reaction of the game warden. When he recovered from the shock of it all, he began yelling at Sam. “You can’t do this! I will put you in jail, buddy! You will be paying every fine there is in the book!” Sam, meanwhile, set his net down and took out another stick of dynamite. He lit it and tossed it in the lap of the game warden with these words, “Are you going to sit there all day complaining or are you going to fish?”

The poor warden was left with a fast decision to make. He was yanked, in one second, from an observer to a participant.

Philippians 4:8-Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy— meditate on these things.

It tells us what we should embrace, not what should be avoided.

It does not paint a picture of restraint, but of passion--the pursuit of everything that is worthwhile.’

Did you know that your brain has stored more information than is in the entire library of congress with all its 17 million volumes?

Psychologists tell us that each person has about ten thousand thoughts per day.

When someone commits a sin it is most likely a manifestation of what has already taken place in their mind.

Satan knows if he can have your mind he can have your feet.

Paul gives us all these characteristics to put our mind on.

The human mind is going to set itself on something. The question is on what?

2 Cor. 10:5-We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Intentional-deliberate, premeditated: done on purpose, not by accident

Isaiah 26:3-You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

Psalm 1:1-3-Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a free Planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.