What do we always think about? A man’s thoughts are important to his existence. A philosopher once said, “I think therefore I am.”

“I cannot deny my existence. But when I do and doubt, that just proves I exist. Because when I doubt, there’s someone doing this thinking. That thinker is me. I think therefore I am.”

What thoughts do you think about?

There’re many ways of thinking - Confucian, Buddhist, communist, democratic, terrorist ways of thought. Whatever we think about will have an impact on our lives.

If we think our lives are not good, this is largely down to our thoughts being bad. These bad thoughts will affect our actions which shape our habits which shape our character. This bad character will then impact our life.

We hence need to think in a good way so that our lives can be good.

What kind of thoughts should we think so that our lives can be good/美好?

1. Think about God’s law Psa 1:2-3 Do you delight in the law of God? Do you think about His law day and night? Some people claim to delight in the law of God but don’t think about His law. Only those who delight in His law AND meditate on it will be blessed. He’ll be like a tree planted along the rivers. His trees will never be dry and will bear fruits in season. This is a good life. Unfortunately, we often don’t think about God’s law but how to make money, because we need food to live. In order to get food, we need money. Since we need money, we need to earn it. So we often think about ways to earn money so that we can continue living.

Actually thinking about ways to make money is not wrong. But if we only think about this and not the law of God then that’s wrong. The Lord has said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Why? Because Man was created in the image of God. When Man relies on the words of God to live, there’s a connection between him and God. He’ll be able to live before God and be in His kingdom. But if Man doesn’t rely on the words of God, he’ll lose his status to be in the kingdom, and will be judged by God’s word. Just like Adam. He lived in God’s kingdom but was thrown out because he transgressed God’s word.

Therefore Jesus warns all of us living today to be clear: we don’t live by bread alone. We must also live by God’s words.

An animal/beast lives solely on food. They don’t need God’s word to live. This is because they’re not created in God’s image. If we as humans only rely on food to eat, are we not just like animals/beasts? We observe how when people are ravenous, they harm others for food. Humans have sold their soul for 30 pieces of silver; instead of being a child of God and listening to His word, they become a child of Satan.

That’s your choice, whether you want to be a child of God or Satan. Do you live just to pursue after food or to pursue after the word of God? The different choices lead to different outcome. We shouldn’t just think about what’s before us but what’s at the end.

Always ponder over God. That we may be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven in the end.

1. Think about the good things in life more than the bad things 常想善不想恶 常想一二不思八九 (we often think about 1 and 2 but not 8 and 9) There’s a saying that goes: in life, 8 or 9 things out of 10 are not good. Only 1 or 2 things are good.

Do we only think about the 8/9 bad things and not the 1/2 good things? Then we will have sorrow. But if we think about the 1/2 good things in life, we’ll have comfort in our suffering and troubles. We’ll be able to bear what’s difficult. Just like Joseph.

Gen 41:51-52 When Joseph had his first son, he was very happy. But what was even more joyful was God helped him to forget all the sorrow in his father’s house. Joseph’s life was indeed full of suffering. Truly his life had 8/9 things out of 10 that were bad. He lost many things. When young, he lost his mother. Then he lost his familial ties. He lost his home land. And he lost his job. If we were to lose any one of these things, we’d be sad. If we lost all, how can we NOT be upset? His suffering were great. In his own family, he was dealt harshly by his brothers. Even though he was diligent in his work, he was maligned and went to jail. In jail even though he was suffering, he was happy to help the other prisoners. There’s a saying 好心有好报 “you’ll be repaid for being kind”. But the person Joseph helped forgot about him. This was a suffering too.

But there was 1-2 good things in Joseph’s life. The colourful cloak his father gave him - some warmth in his family. God also gave him 2 dreams. Although they hadn’t come to reality, he knew God would make it come to pass. These dreams gave Joseph hope to go through all his suffering. So even though he suffered many bad things in life, these 1-2 good things was enough to comfort and strengthen him.

Do we think our lives now are full of suffering and toil? If we only think of the unfortunate things, then we will be controlled and constrained by all these thoughts. This is the greatest misfortune.

When we meet with difficult times in our lives; when our relationships go into difficult times; when we go through physical afflictions, we may feel helpless.

But if our thoughts and mood also falls into a dismal state, that’s misfortune over misfortune. We must not let our thoughts fall as well.

We must be open minded. Life is like a flower that blooms and withers. There’re times of colour. There’ll be times it’ll wither.

Life is also like a tide which rises and falls. There’ll be times we’re full of happiness, and times of great sorrow.

Life is difficult. Think about the 1-2 good things in life and not the 8-9 bad things. Then we’ll have comfort and hope in difficulties. We’ll be able to see a small ray of light shining through the dark clouds and we can see a small ray of blessing.

Why was Joseph able to bear all these things silently? He had God. God gave him the 2 dreams. This gave him strength and hope.

Think about the 1-2 happy things. Not the 8-9 sad things. Even though we face sufferings, God’s grace is still with us. Why do we only think about our sufferings and not our blessings? “Count your blessings and you’ll be surprised what God has done”

1. Think of good and not evil Phil 4:8-9 In life we will meet with evil things but we will also meet with good things. We’ll meet with evil men but also good people. Do we think about the good or evil things? Do you often think about the evil or good people?

This way of thinking is important. If we think about evil people and things, we’ll find that our lives have a lot more evil. What we say will also be a lot of evil things. What comes out of our mouths and our lives are evil. In your life, are the things you want to hear coming out of someone’s mouth evil things? First time we hear, we can accept. Second time we hear, we can bear. Third time we hear, we want to get away from the person.

If we think about good things and good people, we’ll find our lives are good. Even when we meet evil people, because our thinking is good, we won’t be affected by them.

Just like Paul who thought only of good things and not evil. He told us this perspective. “Whatever things are true and noble, meditate on these things.” Paul isn’t saying everyone is good. None of them/us are so good. This is evidenced from his letters that rebuked the people the . We don’t have to be surprised. In the field of God there’re wheat and tares. The Lord allows them to grow together. But on the last day, they’ll be harvested differently. One placed in the stores, one to be burnt.

Which kind of outcome d’you want? That’ll depend on what our thoughts are on.

Why think about evil people and things? That’ll influence you to be evil.

Some people are like that. When they see evil things happening, it affects them and causes them to become not so good also.

If we think about good things then we be good as well.

What Paul probably felt was the worst suffering was that when he was in prison and needed someone to write what he wanted to say, all had left him. If you think about all the people who have left you, wouldn’t you be angry? “I’m not in prison because I did something wrong. I’m here because I preached the gospel. Shouldn’t the ministers stand by me?” When he needed them most, they left him. Thinking about these things would make one angry and have no peace in one’s heart. But not Paul. He said, “I don’t blame these people.” The people he thought about were people who didn’t leave him - Luke, Timothy and Epaphroditus. Though few, they brought him great joy.

This happened in Paul’s time. It happens today also. In Paul’s time, there’re many who want to pursue perfection but don’t provide timely help. When you’re successful, how many people will surround and praise you! But when you fail, where’re the people who were once with you? This society is a pragmatic one. Worse still are people who hit you when you’re down. We may know or have encountered such people.

The speaker thinks that once a person is more than 60 years old, he’d have gone through enough to not be shocked by this because he would have gone through joy and suffering in his life. He would have experienced both the joy and pain in relationships. He won’t care so much if no one helps him in his time of need. Even if someone hits you when you’re down, that’s no big deal. Because he has seen too much of this. So he chooses to look at all the good things and put aside the ugly things. He thinks of the good memories and forget all the bad ones.

Is it possible to forget memories of suffering and pain? No. We just put it aside. When we encounter something that triggers these memories, it may cause us to think about it again. How do we forget them? Don’t think about them. Try to put them aside and not think about unhappy memories. Try to think about good and happy things good for our edification. There’s no way to avoid evil people and things. But we can choose to not think of these evil people and things.

Phil 4:8-9 “…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.”

Not only do we need to think about these good things and people. We also need to learn so we can be these good people. So that our own lives will be better. More importantly so that the people we love are able to experience these good things.

Stephen Hawking spent his whole life on a wheelchair. He had scientific knowledge and also knowledge about life. There was once after he finished his report, he opened the floor to the press. After many questions, a female reporter asked him a sensitive question, “Your illness has confined you to a wheelchair. D’you think fate as dealt you a bad hand?” The whole press conference lapsed into silence, awaiting his answer. Stephen Hawking smiled and typed his answer on the keyboard. His reply: my fingers can still move. My brain can still think. I’ve the dreams I want to pursue in life. There’re people who love me and people I love. Most of all, I have a heart of gratitude for what I have.“

People respected him not because of his scientific brain or because of the pain he suffered. Because there’re many great scientists and many people who’re suffering. What was admirable about him was his endurance in his suffering. His optimism and suffering moved people.

Clearly the quality of life is not just based on our environment but how we view our environment. We may have a good environment now. But when it changes, will we still be able to walk the path we need to take? This is important and what we need to learn, and our children need to learn too.

We’ll meet many evil things and people. So far, we’ve been hearing how evil has affected others. When it happens to us, what will our reaction be?

Paul reminds us to think about the good things and not the evil things. When we’re in a difficult situation, be able to persist in our correct faith and thinking.

The last and most important point. If you think about 1-3 but don’t think about 4, that’s regrettable.

1. Think about the suffering Jesus bore on the cross Heb 12:2-3 We all look unto Jesus. But when we look unto Jesus, our thoughts may be different. We may be thinking: Jesus why’re you not helping me get out of this pain?

You think Jesus doesn’t love or care about you. Looking unto Jesus in this way doesn’t help you. It’ll cause you to blame Him, make you discourage and make you give up.

Even as you look unto Jesus, check if the way we’re thinking is correct.

Look unto Jesus and think about the suffering He bore on the cross. This is what all Christians should think about: Jesus on the cross. Think about how He 轻看羞辱despised the shame He faced (see v2). We should also be like Jesus to 轻看羞辱despise shame. When shame comes upon us, our natural reaction is to ask why Jesus allows us to experience shame. On the cross, Jesus 轻看羞辱despised the shame and didn’t think too much about how He was shamed. Have you been spat on by someone or slapped by someone? We may not be able to endure such shame but Jesus was willing to. On the cross people mocked, “You say You’re the Saviour. Then come down from the cross! If you do then we’ll believe.” A hurtful attack. If it were us, likely we’ll just come down and smack all of them.

Thankfully it’s not us on the cross. Otherwise we won’t be saved.

To save us sinners, Jesus 轻看羞辱despised the shame. What was the joy He saw? Not something set before Him but something in the future. He saw what would happen in the future. That amongst these people were some who would confess their sins and be loyal disciples. This was what Jesus looked forward to. So He 轻看羞辱despised the shame and endured the cross.

Heb 12:3 Lest we become discouraged, think about Jesus who endured all hostility from sinners. When we’re working for God, we’ll face weariness, discouragement and complaints that’ll affect our faith. Some words really hurt people. Then we think, “Alright then I won’t do it anymore.”

The more we think about the shame we suffer, all the more we don’t want to do it. But if we think about Jesus who 轻看羞辱 despised the shame He faced, we too should do so.

Another more important point: How did Jesus learn to become a perfect Man? Yes He’s God but He’s also a man. Heb 5:8-9 “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by things which He suffered” Though He was a Son, He learnt how to be obedient through His suffering. If Jesus wasn’t obedient to take the bitter cup, there wouldn’t be salvation. Because Jesus learned obedience through His suffering, He became a perfect man and also gave us a perfect way. How do we become perfect? By learning from Jesus. By learning obedience through suffering.

Why does God allow us to suffer? To refine us. To what? To have a holy conduct? We have no way to be holy on our own. In our holiness we also have impure thoughts. It’s for us to learn how to be obedient; to confess our sins and repent. To learn how to accept and endure. Then we will be perfect.

In Revelations, many people were unable to get out of their tribulations because they murmured against God. But God’s people knew that they had to endure to the end to be perfect and victorious.

Jesus has first walked this road. He has left footsteps for us to follow. Jesus learnt obedience through suffering and was made perfect. Think about Jesus on the cross. So that we may be willing to follow His footsteps and in suffering learn to be obedient and become perfect.