Whenever I read the opening verses of Psalm 92, the number 1,440 flashes through my mind. 1,440 is the number of minutes in a day, and Psalm 92 is a positive motivator on how to manage these precious moments:
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and sing praises to Your name, O Most High. It is good to tell of Your loving-kindness in the morning, and of how faithful You are at night, with harps, and with music of praise. For You have made me glad by what You have done, O Lord. I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands (Psalm 92:1-4).
Think about the words you spoke yesterday; was your vocabulary more grumpy than it was gracious? How would your life be different if you would spend more time counting your blessings than tallying your slights? Would you be happier and healthier?
Barbara Fredrickson, a researcher at the University of North Carolina, has examined the power of positive and negative thoughts. She has found that positive emotions enhance your sense of personal potential; opens your mind to new possibilities; and, they allow you to develop new skills and resources that add value to your life.
Fredrickson’s premise is a conformation of a principle from the Proverbs: Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. ~Proverbs 16:24
Over the next week, I encourage you to use some of the 1,440 minutes of each day to put Psalm 92 to practice:
- Focus on the blessing of God, and give thanks.
- Whistle a tune, hum a favorite hymn, and sing a song of praise to God.
- When you get up in the morning, start with a God is Able thought, and end your day by rehearsing the history of God’s faithfulness.
- Begin and end each day with the following prayer:
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. ~Psalm 19:14
When I purchased a new computer several years ago, Best Buy packaged it with a copy of a virus protection program called Kaspersky. I liked the program and would have renewed my subscription except for the fact that it was a Russian company.
With the exception of Sunday, my morning routine includes a little java and journalism. On Sundays I still drink the coffee, but I skip the newspaper.
Life is an adventure. Some people seem to stumble their way through it, while others have the ability and agility to bob and weave their way through its obstacles. Some people have the knack to fall face first into every mud hole that dots their path in life, while others can transform the sourest moments of life into a sweet experience.
Tuesday morning, I was driving west towards Wichita and I was blessed with the beauty of a double rainbow. As the dazzling colors shone brightly against the distant backdrop of dark and menacing clouds, I was reminded that life is much like that storm.
Quintus Horatius Flaccus was a poet who lived during the reign of Caesar Augustus, and he’s credited with saying: Exegi monumentum aere perennius. This phrase is found after the final poem in Horaces third book, and it means: I have made a monument more lasting than bronze.
A trip to the zoo can be an adventure of expecting the unexpected. Whether it’s the chimps, the giraffes, or the elephants, somewhere at some time, one of these animals will do something unusual to the delight of the visitors. No one, however, could have expected the series of events that occurred on Saturday and resulted in the death of, Harambe, a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Some people misinterpret the 10 Commandments and the principles of the New Testament as rigid walls erected by God to deny them access to the pleasures of life. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Sometimes I’m asked to comment on the ills of society or to meet with an individual who is in need of counseling. The common denominator that frequently links the two is a lack of integrity. Whether it’s a politician, a musician, an actor, or an individual, the lack of integrity can be at the root of their problems.
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