Are Things of the Earth that Important? Part 1 (TMF:2755)

Friday, November 28, 2025

Peace to Live By: Are Things of the Earth that Important? Part 1 (TMF:2755) - Daniel Litton
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Take, for instance, that of college football. The speaker had always been a fan of Ohio State, having even attended there for a year's time in the Department of Psychology. Nonetheless, it was realized that his fandom tied to Ohio State was simply a matter of circumstances. If the speaker had grown up in Indiana, the tie to a university might have been to Indiana University instead. So, truth be told, the whole thing of being associated to a sports team, that of which pride can even be taken in, was due to circumstances outside the speaker’s control. This experience of moving to a different state went to show how meaningless it was, and how even one day all association of sports teams, or truly anything, will be given up. It had never really occurred to the mind that this association of being a sports fan was tied to having lived in Ohio. It might seem obvious, but if the fandom tied behind a sports team is usually regional, then why is so much pride taken in it?

Thinking About Things Above, Part 3 (TMF:2754)

Thursday, November 27, 2025

Peace to Live By: Thinking About Things Above, Part 3 (TMF:2754) - Daniel Litton
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Our minds can be like a spoiled little child when we are focused on the material world, and on what we can get, and how we think people should be treating us. Or, our minds can be like an innocent little child that is always looking to help in a situation., to help others, to see the beauty, to see the purity of life. It’s amazing how those problems that the material or earthly person sees as so big will become so small for the Christian whose mind is set on the right things. Then that person, whose mind is right, can truly say, “All that really matters is God.” When moving across state lines last year to Indiana, it was learned that the Indianans definitely love their sports. It seems that sports are bigger in Indiana even than in Ohio, which may seem hard to believe. Nonetheless, in thinking about all this, and all the sports teams there are in Indiana, one day the mind came to the realization that the whole thing of being associated with a particular sports team was truly meaningless.

Thinking About Things Above, Part 2 (TMF:2753)

Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Peace to Live By: Thinking About Things Above, Part 2 (TMF:2753) - Daniel Litton
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What often makes life so difficult is dealing with our own minds. It’s not dealing with the external circumstances that is so difficult, though, really we believe that it is the external which is actually the problem. It’s really not the external, though, that’s the problem. The issues comes with our interpretation of the external. When are focused on things from a more Godly mindset, from character traits that represent what both Jesus talked about in his earthly ministry, and those of which Paul also referred to in various places, when we interpret events through those traits and act in accordance with those traits, life becomes so much better. We just do what we need to do without all the drama—all that drama that the mind so often makes. Our minds can be like a spoiled little child when we are focused on the material world, and on what we can get, and how we think people should be treating us. Or, our minds can be like an innocent little child that is always looking to help in a situation.

Thinking About Things Above, Part 1 (TMF:2752)

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Peace to Live By: Thinking About Things Above, Part 1 (TMF:2752) - Daniel Litton
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Not easily tamed, is the mind. We find that the mind is set on a lot of things, and those things can be earthly things if we aren’t careful. To set the mind—to set the mind is to put it in a direction. Are we directionally thinking about things that pertain this earth, how to get more out of this earth? Or are we directionally setting the mind on great things, namely, how to live out the things of the earth with God in focus, living how God wants us to? Just like Jesus said regarding storing up treasures, there are only two directions we can set our minds in. Only two; only two. We can set our minds on an upward direction, toward the greater things, or we can set our minds in a straight direction, toward the earth, or downwards, toward the earth. No matter what we do, we are going to have to deal with the earth, it’s just all in how the things before us are interpreted.

The People & Stuff of the World, Part 2 (TMF:2751)

Monday, November 24, 2025

Peace to Live By: The People & Stuff of the World, Part 2 (TMF:2751) - Daniel Litton
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The stuff of the world, even people, are just of the world. If you stop and think about it, for Paul that’s all he pretty much had at the end, his relationship with God. He did say, “Luke alone is with me” (2 Timothy 4:11, ESV). So, he had one person with him—that was it, after everything. Verse 2: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (ESV). Here comes to us the true obstacle of life—the true obstacle. It has to be that. It has to be the mind. The mind we find, experientially, is the hardest thing to control. It’s the control center of our lives, and yet, most often, we find it is out of control. Not easily tamed, is the mind. We find that the mind is set on a lot of things, and those things can be earthly things if we aren’t careful. To set the mind—to set the mind is to put it in a direction. Are we directionally thinking about things that pertain this earth?