By: D. A. Slinkard
Can you believe that we have been on a journey together for over 18 months in which I have been writing and you have been reading the motivational thoughts that come to my mind? I am going to throw out there that a person must be careful what information they take in on a daily basis because there is a lot of bad information out there just waiting to bring you crumbling down. We live in a time period in which we are inundated with various messages expressing the desire to live a good life. There are many things that appear to be good, but just know that not all things that appear good will be good for you.
The Bible warns us in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Who would think that a motivational quote could be bad, but I am here to tell you not to be fooled by the wolves in sheep’s clothing. I recently came across 35 inspirational quotes on following your heart, which in theory sounded good, such as, “Make mistakes, take chances, be silly, be imperfect, trust yourself and follow your heart.- Anonymous” or “Follow your heart. Life is too short to be sidetracked by things everyone else wants you to do.”
If a person is not careful they could easily find themselves agreeing to those “cute” quotes, but know that you must be selective in what you allow into your life. People ask me how I find my ability to stay positive, to stay motivated, to have the right attitude when it comes to my daily approach to life. Honestly, my life has gotten better the more I rely upon Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. It is through my relationship with Jesus Christ and studying His Word that my attitude has changed.
I can tell you without any doubt I would have fallen victim to those cute quotes listed above, but please take the time to read your King James Bible. In reading my Bible, I see in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” How many good Christians have fallen victim to heathen quotes, such as following the heart? If we examine the other quote about life being too short, we see the quote is actually advocating us to walk contrary to what the Bible tells us. Why would any believer want to do this? Remember, even salt looks like sugar!
This article is to show that not all things that appear good are, and we can find great nuggets from the Bible. In fact, we will find many common phrases we use in the secular world such as John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Another great scripture is from Galatians 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Now granted, oftentimes when we hear this, we do not have the first part of the scripture attached as we just hear that a man will reap what he sows. What about when someone does a good deed and we call them a Good Samaritan – yet again taken from the Bible.
The more you dive into your Bible, I believe you will be surprised at the great motivations you will find from the infallible Word of God. There are several more phrases we use in our everyday lives that come straight from the Bible, and I challenge you today to start your own scavenger hunt. You never know where the roads will lead, but I can tell you of the positive impacts that Jesus Christ has had on my life. Who I am today is much different than the lost soul I started out as in my Christian walk with God.
I appreciate everyone who has offered a kind word to me about my writings. You are an inspiration to keep up my writings because we can all find the good in life, we just need to be on the lookout for it. The only thing about maintaining a positive attitude is knowing it takes work, just like anything else in life, and with that I leave you with Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
By: D. A. Slinkard
D.A. Slinkard is the manager of the Athens Staples store
