Truth be told…my wife is an excellent cook. She can whip up a meal in no time flat and that meal will have you wanting to lick the plate, the cooking utensils and the pots and pans she used to make the meal or the dessert. Me on the other hand, I can do a “lil somethin’ somethin’” in the kitchen too. I have noticed that on occasion when I try to duplicate a meal or a dish that she has made; it just doesn’t turn out the same. It turns out good and is edible, but it is just not quite as good as when she prepares it. We will use the exact same ingredients, but the final dish will not taste the same.
I began to think, “How can two people use the same ingredients and produce drastically different meals and why can some people “burn” (cook very well) and other people just burn?” :-) There is a system at work that we sometimes ignore. It is always at work, but we are not always sensitive to it. It is the system of “Input-Output”. We are all familiar with the sayings “You get out of it what you put into it…What you put in you’ll get out…You are what you eat…etc”. There is truth in those sayings. Simply stated, the way the system works is that raw data is introduced into the system (Input). The data is then processed and then data exits the system (Output). This is basically how computers work. Data enters in the computer processes the data and produces an output.
When it comes to the input/output system, the main difference between us and computers is that two people can input the same data and come up with different Outputs. We tend to “process” data based on our emotions, past experiences and an attempt to manage our expectations/futures. This is why two people can listen to the same conversation, the same instructions, the same teaching etc and come back totally different conclusions or points of action. Our minds, bodies, souls and spirits operate within this system, but with a twist…What comes out of us is usually a representation of what is already in us, and that output (action we take or words that we speak) was just brought to light, triggered and/or activated by an input.
In addition, like computers, our processors (our mind, bodies, souls and spirits) can be impacted by the input that enters the system. Just as a computer can be “infected” by a corrupt process or by “corrupt data”, we too can fall prey to “contaminated data” that enters into our systems.
Proverbs 4:23-27 (Message Bible) reads:
Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts. Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.
Luke 6:45 (Amplified Bible) reads:
The upright (honorable, intrinsically good) man out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart produces what is upright (honorable and intrinsically good), and the evil man out of the evil storehouse brings forth that which is depraved (wicked and intrinsically evil); for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.
What does your output look like? Is it positive or negative…good or evil…productive or destructive…Godly or Worldly…loving or hateful. Our output is tied to our input and the quality of our “processors”, so if you don’t like your output, examine your inputs (the outside influences that you are exposed to…the people your are around…the shows your watch…the music you listen to) or make some modifications to your “processor” (renew your mind, your heart and your spirit daily). “Good” inputs will do you no good if you can’t receive them and produce “good” output, because your “processor” is corrupt.
I challenge you today to “upgrade” your “PC” and watch what you put into it so that what you produce will be pleasing to and bring glory to your “Ultimate Programmer”.
Be Blessed,
B
