“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

                                                                                                            Romans 12:2

A friend of mine from high school, Bill Smith, is now a pastor in the small community where I grew up in Virginia. He sent out a devotional recently and I was blessed to receive a copy. I LOVE the message contained in the devotional and hope it will speak to you as deeply as it did to me. Enjoy, and thanks, Bill!

Years ago, a pastor spoke at a revival on how to teach people to get rid of problems in their lives. Many people came to hear the wise man’s words. The pastor entered the church and told a very funny joke to the crowd. The crowd roared in laughter.

After a couple of minutes, he told them the same joke and only a few of them smiled.

When he told the same joke for the third time no one laughed anymore.

The pastor smiled and said,” You can’t laugh at the same joke over and over. So why do you cry over the same problem over and over?”

Today, you know deep inside that you have to change the way you think. You can change your mind, and when you do, it changes the way you feel. And when you change the way you feel, it changes the way you act.

Instead of dreading each day because you face the same “old” problem, do something about it! Stop crying over the same problem. Make a decision to change the way you think, the way you feel and the way you act!

Eternal God, help us to know that the sin and pain of yesterday that often holds us back is in our minds, and that by renewing them through the renewal of our hearts, we can be set free from our bondage to them. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.