Topic: Believe the Best [Joyce Meyer Devotional 5 June 2020]
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Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.— Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV)
Wrong thinking can very quickly ruin a day. Many friendships are destroyed because of wrong thinking. Business deals go wrong. Marriages fail. It’s so easy to concentrate on everything that is wrong with your spouse or situation instead of what’s right, and before you know it, you think you want to get away from the person you’re married to or working with, when what you really want to escape is your own negative mindset.
One big shift we can make that will help is to replace suspicion and fear with trust. Trust breeds trust. Trusting others, and especially trusting God, helps keep us healthy. When we trust, we’re relaxed and at rest. For example: You’re walking down an unfamiliar street, and a man comes out of his house with his pit bull growling on a leash and grumbles, “What are you doing in my yard?” You might think, Who is this nutcase? and act angry and suspicious right back. In that case, his unfriendliness boomerangs back to him (and probably makes him even more angry).
On the other hand, if you’re somehow able to look beyond his suspiciousness (maybe he was recently robbed?) and choose to be kind and relaxed toward him, more often than not he will relax, too, and you’ll have a friendly conversation that improves his day and yours. You might call this the “boomerang effect,” or as the Bible says, “reaping what you sow.” Whatever you call it, the saying is true: You get what you give. So believe the best of others today, and watch how your relationships thrive!
Prayer Starter: Father, please teach me how to start replacing suspicion with trust in my relationships. Thank You for helping me believe the best of the people in my life today. In Jesus’ Name, amen.