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By Rev. Stewart Ham

For The Washington Daily News

In God’s creation one of His segments of building was seasons, there’s a total of four, fall, winter, spring, and summer. Each individual has a preference of one or two out of the four. Each season has pretty much its own weather pattern.

To make us comfortable during these seasons thermostats and thermometers are a necessity, it physically helps us regulate desirable temperatures.

In life there are people who always speak negatively, never see the good and positive benefits and always see the glass half empty rather than half full. It’s attitudes and character like these we should seek to change, that hopefully and prayerfully they will see a different outlook that will merit their conversational piece being reversed to the positive side. Also, through such a negative attitude and character one can create barriers and even doubt to those who are trying to positively build both their spiritual and natural lives.

Being a positive force can begin the process of changing the atmosphere of people in various places.  Even Paul the apostle made mention in Romans 7:21-25v. in (paraphrasing) that each time he attempts to do something good or positive, bad forces were always trying to stop him. This was mainly because of the negative people and forces that surrounded him.

However, in verses 25 Paul made the decision of rather being a thermometer, he was going to be a thermostat. His agenda was to change his surroundings rather than his allowing his surroundings to change him.

When we look at the operation of the thermostat and the thermometer, the thermometer has a bi-metal coil or metal strip so when it heats up it expands and when things cool down it contracts.  This is a mechanical device where by one can set the achievable or desirable temperature, [ this devise controls the surroundings]

The thermometer measures temperature around it, its two primary components: temperature sensor which detects changes of temperature and the device that translates temperature to readable values, [this devise is control by the surroundings].

In other words, a thermostat changes its surroundings, while thermometers only detect its surroundings.  There’s more of a return in a thermostat because it can remove the undesirable elements and replace it with desirable ones.   When we become human thermostats, at this point we are capable of helping others to change their negative way of speaking, thinking and even acting.

What helps many others as well as ourselves, is changing the surroundings, helping to change negative people one person at a time.  This was Paul’s intent concerning the Romans and today our concerns should be family, friends, community and organizations.

No one really has to tell us the negative things we are surrounded by, a lot of times the morning and evening news will tell us.  A working thermostat will make the hottest place into the coolest and the coldest place the warmest.

It doesn’t take a crowd to get this done. Only one is needed and that can be you or me.

Let’s begin the effort of making positive changes around us this will give aid and support to the many that are trying to make it to a successful place in life, both natural and spiritual.

Stewart Ham is the pastor at New Growth Unlimited Ministries Inc. in Aurora.