You Are Rich Already – Part 1 — Morning Devotions

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It’s a great time, to meet new people, and see other world features. We ended up at Los Angeles one time, and met up with some friends who live there. We had a day free before flying back to Sydney, and Joe offered to show us around.

It was a good day. At lunch time, in a restaurant, I offered to pay for the meal. But Joe would have no part of that. And then he said, “We are rich indeed”. It startled me a bit, but I knew what he meant. He and his wife were not rich in terms of cash or houses, but he meant his life was rich and meaningful. God had blessed his life in so many ways, he could say ‘he was rich’—he was rich in spirit; his life and his cheerful, generous attitude said it all. We were very grateful for their kindness.

How rich is your life? I’m not talking about money or finances. But other things that make life worthwhile. Often money causes grief and distress—so there’s more to life than material possessions. But what is a satisfying life? Maybe a life of contrasts—maybe sleep-ins, or soft rain, or coffee shops, conversation; also adrenaline and lots of adventure?

Change the Way You Think

But there is a challenge here to change the way we think. Our thought patterns need a makeover. Our minds are programmed for certain thought patterns and outcomes based on what we feed it.

Sometimes we let fear stop us from enjoying life. Don’t you admire a fearless person—one who steps up and does the things you only wish you had the strength to do? Maybe it’s someone who speaks with ease in front of thousands, or happily travels to new places and fits in to every culture they encounter, or someone who reveals their deepest emotions without fear of rejection and has the most awesome relationships.

Actually, if you talked with them, they’d tell you they have fears too. The difference is they’ve embraced the advice, “Don’t let fear stop you”. This is good news, because it means that you can too!

If you want your life to be transformed, you must renew your mind—change your thinking before you can change your life. You must be thinking thoughts of trust and faith and confidence in God. You must put away thoughts of fear, unbelief, worry, suspicion, unworthiness and doubt from your mind.

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Go to the Source of all Wisdom

Instead, have thoughts of faith and trust in the faithfulness and goodness of God. Such positive thoughts will cause positive changes in your life, and you will be transformed. Whenever you need wisdom, insight, and understanding, it is best to go to the source of all wisdom, which is God’s Word.

You must change the way you think. The very wise Apostle Paul puts it like this in Romans 12:2 (NLT):

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

That’s three words: the will of God, which is good, pleasing and perfect. It’s an amazing challenge.

(To be continued in You Are Rich Already – Part 2)