Last Sunday was my birthday and Jim planned a special trip out of town for the occasion. The destination was a surprise – in many ways! We headed east on an older highway because it would be easier to enjoy the fall color. It was a beautiful trip through East Texas and we arrived at a Bed and Breakfast in Jefferson, Texas. Jefferson has a wonderful history and many homes dating back to the Civil War. Our Bed and Breakfast wasn’t quite that old, but it was pretty close. Let’s just say that the “four-star” rating may have been somewhat optimistic. The four star review also failed to mention the frequency of the trains that come through Jefferson, announcing their presence with a very loud whistle. We cut our trip short by one night because we both needed to come home and get some sleep! Jim, however, didn’t want us to miss out on the restaurant he had discovered on the internet, so we went there before coming home. He said it was famous and explained that it was located right on the river so we could enjoy the view as we ate. We did enjoy the view – from our picnic table on the porch – as we swatted at an assortment of flying insects dive bombing the food. We also struggled not to inhale too much of the smoke from the large crowd of bikers that had come to eat and enjoy the restaurant as well. The picture attached to this blog post is the parking lot of that famous riverfront restaurant. Suffice it to say…it wasn’t exactly the special birthday weekend Jim had hoped to give me. And I loved it. He and I laughed, enjoyed ourselves and made some fun memories last weekend. I’m sure we will enjoy those memories for all the years to come. Jim put a lot of thought into the weekend – and it truly is the thought that counts most! And it is our thoughts that count the most to God as well.
I loved reading the comments from my last blog post. I have a thinking, passionate group of readers – and I am honored to share this blog with you. It is a good thing to ponder, discuss and help each other to be more discerning about the way we walk through our lives. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” There was a lot of wisdom in those comments, and a lot of things to think about.
Our thoughts count, especially to God, who knows each one. How many times do you think about God each day? Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” One of the best things we can do with our thoughts and our minds is trust them to the God of the universe. How many times a day do our thoughts tell God that we love and trust his perfection? He knows the answer to that question. God told Jeremiah, “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve” (Jeremiah 17:10). Perfect peace is God’s perfect reward.
Our thoughts will never be perfect. In fact, according to Psalm 94:11, God knows that the thoughts of man are often futile. But Romans 8:6 assures us that the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. There are a lot of things to think about each day, none more important than the greatness of God. Does his Spirit control your thoughts? If so, then you have joy in your salvation and peace for the road of life that is headed towards eternity. Not every experience will be “four-star” and the view isn’t always what we planned it to be. We aren’t in heaven yet. But every time we turn our thoughts toward God, we can find his perfect peace. It really is the thought that counts!
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