Which is Easier - a lesson on keeping versus releasing any negative thoughts

A common comedic storyline is when a group of people are on a journey and they decide to take a shortcut. It will tend to never work out, in the end. The follies that follow are just part of the humorous storyline. The concept of the shortcut sets things up quite well for the laughs of the "shortcut."

Someone will think that going on the shortcut will be much easier than following the general plan. In the scene we looked at on Sunday, we saw Jesus healing a paralytic and being the victim of the evil thoughts from the "teachers of the law." As we reflect back on that lesson, I want to look at what the "teachers of the law" did as a result of seeing Jesus perform the miracle and pointing it toward our behaviors. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

• Blasphemer ~ A blasphemer is someone who has spoken injuriously about God. It also means to hurt the reputation or credit of someone. Think about how you may have had instances in your life that you possessed these qualities about God. You may not have said something outright that defames God, but are other times when you are reducing the power of God to only be able to handle what you think He can handle? I think we need to watch our hearts and see if we are demonstrating a blaspheming attitude.
• Hating ~ Hating can come out in various forms. Hating can be a result of feelings of prejudice, anger, jealousy, or envy. When we are seeing the skills or opportunities of someone else be better than our own skills, do we catch ourselves thinking negatively about them? These types of "evil thoughts" are going to be damaging to our spiritual life. Let's rid them before they rid us!
• Let Go ~ Storing up evil thoughts about someone is not healthy. The more we keep something around the more we are going to entertain the thoughts about them. If they are negative, they are going to create some figurative pus and cause some infectious issues! Let them go, even when it's hard to do so. Negative should not be harbored!

It may be easier, in our minds, to think we need to hold on to a grudge, a jealous thought, or something similar. However, we don't realize, until it is gone, how heavy and how much effort it takes to hold on to those. We carry around these things all day, every day and it will become wearisome.

Jesus knows what you have "in you" which you need to let go of. Now it's your turn to try to start releasing those "evil thoughts." How will you go about doing it?