Attitude of Gratitude

 Attitude of Gratitude 

June 15, 2026

Philippians 4:6 (NKJV) 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

Ephesians 5:20 (NKJV) 

giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Having the mind of Christ involves adopting several attitudes. One of these is gratitude. We once had a pastor that printed signs that said “Attitude of Gratitude”, and had us tape it to our bathroom mirror where we would see it first thing every morning. I don’t remember how long that sign stayed there. That house has been sold and that pastor has moved on to his eternal reward, but the lesson remains. If you want to live with the mind of Christ, start your day with an attitude of gratitude. 

This has always been difficult for me. I spent my working life looking for faults in paper making equipment that could be fixed, and investigating inefficiencies that could be improved. That is an attitude of continuous improvement, which leads to increasing productivity, but does not foster a sense of gratitude for what you have. In order to give thanks for all things, you have to be grateful for what you have now, being confident that God will supply anything that is lacking.

So endeavor to give thanks always for all things and make your requests known to God with thanksgiving. Such an attitude will lead you to have the mind of Christ and drawn you closer to the Lord. Shalom.

 

Peace of Mind

Peace of Mind

June 14, 2026

Philippians 4:4-7 (NKJV) 

4Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord [is] at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:8-9 (NKJV) 

8Finally, 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. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

The last couple of days we have been talking about the mind of Christ and having a mature mind. The apostle wraps up his letter with advice on how to obtain peace of mind. Practicing the following will help you live a peaceful, unworried life:

• Rejoice always
• Don’t be anxious
• Pray about everything
• Be thankful
• Meditate on pure thoughts

And the result will be a life lived with the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.

What else can I say? That’s a good list to start meditating on in order to start you on a road of living with peace of mind. Shalom. Shalom.

Mature Mind

 Mature Mind

June 13, 2926

Philippians 3:12-16 (NKJV) 

12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that Imay lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing [I do,] forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to [the degree] that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

Yesterday, we talked about having the mind of Christ. Today’s scripture talks about being of a mature mind. By that, the apostle means that we should have an attitude which does not think too highly of ourselves, but persists in pressing on. Being mature means that we don’t think we have arrived, but continue to learn and progress in the Word of God. In the world, we come to an age when we retire and sit back and rest from our labors, but in the Lord we don’t retire; we keep on reaching for the prize. As one old saint put it, “I’m not retired, I’m re-fired!”  So whatever your age, keep on reaching forward and pursue the call of God. Be of the same mind as the Apostle Paul, and keep on walking.

The Mind of Christ

 Mind of Christ

June 12, 2026

Philippians 2:5-11 (NKJV) 

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form ofGod, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, [and] coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to [the point of] death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5 (NASB)

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

When you look at the news this week, it is readily apparent that one thing missing from our modern society is the mind of Christ. Jesus had an attitude of humility by which he made himself of no reputation. He didn’t defend himself from insults and disrespected by lashing out with violence. The attitude that it is ok to murder someone because you are disrespected is tearing our society apart. Our young people need Jesus! 

Modern philosophers and social influencers criticize Christianity as being out of step with modern times, but it is the teaching of Jesus that serves as the foundation of civil society. The American republic was founded on the teachings of the Bible, and our laws reflect the justice taught from Moses to Jesus. Without the philosophical underpinnings of the Bible, society is returning to a cruel, pagan past. Before America, all nations were governed by kings or tyrants, and the ideas of liberty and equality were unknown outside of a few periods when the king was a follower of Christ and ruled from a biblical perspective. The American constitution was the first to codify the ideas of liberty, equality and justice as taught by the Bible. When we deviate from this standard, society deteriorates, and injustice and cruelty abounds. Let us have the mind of Christ and teach our children the way of humility and love for one another, so that America can once again be great. As the French historian De Tocqueville put it, “America is great because she is good. If she ceases to be great, she will cease to be good.” So as we celebrate 250 of American liberty, let us remember the teaching of Jesus and humble ourselves and and teach our children the way of love.

Armor of God

 Armor of God

June 10, 2026

Ephesians 6:10-12 (NKJV) 

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.]

When we read the daily news, we hear of wars, crooked elections, murder and riots, and we are tempted to attack the people behind these activities. It is important then, to remember the admonition in Ephesians 6, “for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood…”. The war against principalities, powers, and rulers is a spiritual battle and requires spiritual weapons.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (NKJV) 

3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

And our armor is not to protect against bullets drones and bombs, but against spiritual forces of wickedness. The battle is in the mind and in the spirit. Our enemies are not the people that wield these physical weapons, but the evil forces behind them. To defeat them, we need spiritual weapons and spiritual armor. Truth, righteousness and faith are our tools to take on the lies of the enemy. Going back to the daily news, you will notice that the first attack from the enemy is in the form of lies. Before the mussels fly and the bullets are shot, there is a barrage of lies to deceive and demoralize their enemies. This is the time to take a stand for truth, expose the lies, and preach the gospel of peace. The answer to the evil and riotously behavior taking over our streets is not more violence, but more truth. Pray for those poor, deceived individuals that are being used to spread the lies and cause murder and mayhem. They are not our true enemies, but are unfortunate tools of the evil one. So take up the sword of the spirit, the Word of God, and do battle for truth, righteousness and the American way.

Ephesians 6:13-20 (NKJV) 

13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-- 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

Scripture

 Scripture

June 3, 202

Romans 15:4 (NASB95) For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

As we start into the second half of the year, the scripture for today reminds us that the scriptures were written for us to encourage us and give us hope. So i encourage you to renew your efforts to read some scripture every day. The study of the Word is what keeps us going in the Way. The Bible instructs us in life. So persevere in following the Lord every day. 

Blessings from the Brillharts… on the road back to Texas.

Foolish Speech

 Foolish Speech

May 31, 2026

Proverbs 17:28 (NASB95) Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

`The early American version of this, possibly from Mark Twain or Abraham Lincoln, goes something like this:

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt”.

We were talking yesterday about wise speech, so it’s only fitting that we follow it up with a discourse on foolish speech. I grew up in west central Illinois, which was near to where both Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain lived, so I can readily believe that one or both of them used this proverb. They were both known for their wit and their type of dry humor was common to the Midwest. And neither tolerated fools easily. Lincoln also spoke of honesty and lying:

“I never encourage deceit, and falsehood, especially if you have got a bad memory, is the worst enemy a fellow can have. The fact is truth is your truest friend, no matter what the circumstances are."

That’s one problem the fool has. When you lie, you have to have a good memory to keep your story straight. The honest man only has to remember the truth. The foolish man tries to cover over his sins with a lie, but the truth will out. Jesus said that this is like building a house on sand.

Matthew 7:26 (NASB95)

“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

True words and righteous actions build a life on a solid foundation. I’m grateful that I was raised in a family and community that valued goodness and honesty. The frivolous speech of the fool stands out in such an environment. So don’t act the fool, as they say. Don’t be a chattering fool but hold your tongue until you have something true to say.