Consider: Philippians 4

The whole book of Philippians is a challenge to live the life that we’ve been called to live as believers. Paul finishes up this challenge by encouraging the believers to check their thoughts.

Philippians 4:8 says: “Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think abou tthings that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

There are so many things that can occupy our thoughts. The cares of this life. Good memories of “how things used to be”. Worries about tomorrow. Truth from God’s word. Lies from the pit of hell. The list could go on forever.

Paul is not just saying have a good thought life. Some have taken this passage and made it in to that… they think it’s a challenge to have “happy, fluffy thinking”. What He is really saying (especially in context with Romans 12:1-2, Colossians 3:1) that we need to have a holy thought life.

He simplifies it and basically just sums it up for us: think on truth and righteousness. Think about pure and “holy things”. Think about things that are worthy of praise.

Worry is not truth. Sinful things are not righteousness. And really, only Jesus is worthy of praise.

The challenge: set your mind on Jesus.

“May the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” – Philippians 4:23

Consider: Philippians 3:4-11

This passage of Scripture is very challenging. Paul starts off by letting us know who he was and details about his life that were very important to him.

Some of those things were:

• He was born into a “pure-blood” Jewish family, that is a branch of the tribe of Benjamin
• He was circumcised when he was 8 days old (a big deal!)
• He was a Pharisee
• Zealous for his faith
• He obeyed the Jewish law so carefully that he was never accused of thought

All of those things sound fine… right? Wrong.

Once Jesus came into the picture, he let’s us know in verse 7 “I once though all these things were very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.”

Here we have another challenge to examine the “stuff” in our lives.

From the list Paul gave, nothing could have been considered “sin”. So when it came to him giving up those things… he wasn’t doing it just to get sin out of his life. He did it because He realized Jesus wanted to change everything, not just the “sin areas” in his life.

Relationship with Jesus is about a complete life change, not us just coming to the point of staying away from sin and waiting for our entry to Heaven. There may be things in our lives, not necessarily sin, but when it comes to Jesus and knowing Him, those things are worthless… and it could be He’s wanting us to give up those things.

Jesus is into new. He is into change. He loves to do both in our lives… in ALL of our lives.

Consider: Proverbs 4:23

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.” – Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

Solomon, the writer of Proverbs is laying it out straight. He made it clear at the beginning of this book that the whole point of Proverbs is to help people in life (see Proverbs 1:2-6).

In Proverbs 4 we have a challenge that above all else we’re to guard our heart.

Well, that’s easy, if Jesus lives in your heart, then you’re all good right? And you only need to make sure you “stay saved”. That’s guarding your heart, right?

Wrong. Dead wrong.

To live out your life that way is limiting the work of God in your life. Giving Jesus our hearts and lives is more than a stay-out-of-hell card. It is life and life more abundantly! And by not guarding your heart, you are giving the enemy an open target to derail that life.

The challenge to guard our heart is not so that we have to follow more rules and do’s and don’ts, but so that we can continue to move forward in this new life we have.

So how do we guard our hearts?

One way is to guard what you look at.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:22-23 “Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. If the light you think you have is really darkness, how deep that darkness will be!”

What Jesus just said there is, whatever you look at will affect you. And He even said that we can be looking at something thinking it’s light, but really it’s darkness… then He said “how deep that darkness will be”. It’s deep because we do not realize it’s darkness. We have let stuff into our heart unreservedly because we think it’s OK when all along it is bringing destruction and working death in our hearts.

This is not a cry for legalistic do’s and don’ts, but for each of us to raise the bar high in our personal lives so that our hearts will be guarded and we will be able to abundantly live the life Jesus came to give.

Because above all else, guard your heart.

Sometimes God speaks to us through the profound and the miraculous. The signs and wonders of Scripture are hard to discount, as they show us the majesty of our God and His supremacy over the natural constraints of this world.  At other times, we find comfort in the prophetic proclamations that we see interspersed throughout the Scriptural record.

2 Thessalonians 2 is a fitting example of God’s ability to allow us to occasionally catch glimpses of the future.  Sometimes we are astounded by the strength of the prayers and Psalms we read, as they bring us comfort and courage. 1 Kings 4:33 which reads, He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish has always spoke to me in a very profound way.  This passage is not about the power of God.  This passage is not about about revelation.  It is simply about the observations of nature and the created order.  Solomon’s took the time to try and explain what he saw scientifically, teaching men about the beauty we are continuously surrounded by, and often fail to see.

The wisdom of Solomon let’s us see that life is about life, and that our faith can live in the natural.  This does not discount the supernatural elements.  Solomon received a supernatural impartation of wisdom as God communicated to him through a prophetic dream.  The extravagant intervention of our Lord is appropriate, and it should always be welcomed.  Solomon’s anointing with wisdom shows us that God loves to speak relevant words that benefit us, and more importantly, those around us as we walk with Him.  We should always be willing to listen to the ’still small voice’ of our God.

Sometimes though, He speaks simply through the profound revelation of His hand as it has been displayed in creation.  Also, this passage let’s us see that what we do in the natural can have a profound impact on us and those around us, if we open up our eyes and let God show us how important what we do is to His revelatory ability.  Teachers, teach as if God is revealing His knowledge to you.  Brokers, sell as if the hand of the Lord is providing you your opportunities.  Mothers, nurture as if God were the one offering comfort and security through you.  I say this because He is.

Consider: Psalm 56

David was a man who really trusted the LORD.

He REALLY put his trust in the LORD.

The psalms he wrote make it clear there were several opportunities throughout his life where the only One he relied on was the LORD.

David wrote this in verses 9: “On the very day I call to You for help, my enemies will retreat. This I know: God is on my side.”

God was on David’s side… and He is on yours as well.

David understood and lived the fact that God was on his side.

Did things always go right or exactly how David wanted them to go?

Definitely not.

This passage was actually was written when David had been seized by the Philistines. So he was in the middle of a trial, yet he still declared that God was on his side.

He didn’t say “this I believe” or “this I hope” BUT he said THIS I KNOW. He was sure of who his trust was in. And the One who had his trust came to his rescue.

Fear is a creepy thing. It causes us to do things we don’t want to do. Fear puts into a flight or flight mode. When we are afraid, we can become like anxious like David was when he waited for word on Absalom’s fate while he was being pursued by Joab’s troops. Fear led the Pharisee’s to seek an audience with Herod to set a guard around Jesus Tomb following His crucifixion. Although they no longer feared Jesus ability to rally people around Him, they feared that His disciples would steal His body.

The Psalmist said something very profound in Psalm 56:3-4. He said that,

When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?

There is one adequate to the fears that lurk around us. We are to put our trust in the Lord, the one whom we praise and worship in the beauty of holiness. This Psalm does not tell us that our fears are not real, that we can think them away, or that we are without faith by having them. His analysis is simple. God is bigger than our fears and wherever their sources may be originating from. Let us do as the Psalmist did, and put our trust in Him, allowing Jesus to address our fears for us.

When I log on to the West Ridge Journal site in order to comment or review comments I am confronted with a option that has a box next to it. The options speaks to me without a voice, but nevertheless, it speaks loud and clear. It asks if it wants me to be entered its memory for future visits with the tag: Remember Me. Matthew 13:14-16 is Jesus’ comment on the same subject. He said: the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

By citing Isaiah’s prophetic proclamation, Jesus drew the Jews of His day into the word of the prophet. When He did this, it was with an admonition and an exhortation that has a  twinge of sadness, as Jesus said that they had forgotten God.

An old friend of mine was rudely confronted with our societies position in light of this prophetic challenge at a Hallmark’s recently. Dave Jefferies, a man I went to Bible College with in the 1980’s was looking for a Religious Sympathy Card to no avail. He asked for help and… well listen to his own account of what happened: “I went to Hallmark and the manager asked me if I needed any help. “I’m looking for encouragement cards, something Spiritual”, I said. “Oooh, that’s a problem”, she replied, ‘We removed everything Spiritual to make room for Easter!’”

The Faith had been exchanged by a Bunny. When our President says we aren’t a Christian (or religious, for that matter) nation, rather we are: “a nation of citizens,” it is safe to say that we have forgotten who we are as a people. We have exchanged the Cross for Chocolate. Let me temper that comment by telling you that I have no problem with egg hunts, baskets, cards and candy. I think are a fun way to help our children see Jesus and to just have well, a little fun. But in the midst of where we seem to be going as a nation, please let it never be said of us that we have forgotten the Rock from which our faith was hewn out from. Here Jesus say: Remember Me and check the box that gives you access to Him!

Consider, for a second, 1 Samuel 24: 4-16.

Here we have David, confronted with a choice. David knows that Saul is after him and, quite frankly, won’t stop until David ceases to exist. Now granted, Saul’s real issue is not so much with David but with the LORD’s decision, but that’s another matter for another day. David is confronted with a very real choice here to end this entire situation with a swift cut from his sword.

For a moment, ask yourself: wouldn’t David be justified in doing it?
Doesn’t he have the “right” to take Saul’s life?

David asks himself the same question, and with the encouragement of his men, even takes steps to exact his revenge on the man who had caused so many complications in his life: he cuts off the corner of his robe.

And then he stops.

And remembers.

David remembered that the LORD is the One with any right to do anything, not David. He asked himself, “What is God’s heart for this situation?” Because the interaction that follows between David and Saul is that of the heart. David asks, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm?’ Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hands in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against the Lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed. See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it. May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.”

David understood that we don’t have the right to simply cut when the sword and opportunity are available. We, as followers of Jesus, are bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6 mentions this fact in this way). We no longer have the “right” to react in whatever form or fashion strikes us in the moment. That’s not to say that there won’t be moments of temptation. Moments when the right word will cut to the very marrow of the person we’re dealing with. And maybe we’re even “justified” in responding that way. Maybe there is an offense that requires some form of loving confrontation. But the key there is love. There’s a song that says, “(In this hand) is bitterness. We want to taste it and let the hatred numb our sorrow. But the wise hand opens slowly to lilies of the valley and to tomorrow.”

We can choose to speak words of death into a situation and take revenge and have the matter cease on the spot. Or we can choose to speak life into the situation. We can choose to bless rather than curse, do good rather than mistreat and love rather than hate (Luke 6:27-29). We are bought at a price…do we even have the “luxury” of withholding grace? We live forgiven lives, and we forgive from that same place.

In verse 16, Saul begins to weep. Real and honest tears. And from David’s choice to let the “right” pass him by and surrender that choice to the Lord alone…to love rather than hate, to surrender whatever backlash or glory that would come of Saul’s death to the Lord…came the hope of real and full restoration.

Consider 1 Samuel 18:8

And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?”

Saul’s response here isn’t as much regarding David himself, but the work the Lord was doing through David.

Huge difference.

From time to time, when someone moves into a position of authority, it is forgotten that the position is truly God’s to give to whomever He declares. In forgetting this, when the time comes for a change in your role (as life often brings), it becomes a far more difficult transition than it needs to be. God has called us to be stewards of the places that we are influential-be that a job, at school or at church. Whatever your role might be, it’s never about title, but about the Lord’s purposes. So often we are enticed to a particular person or role simply by it’s title, not asking the Lord who He would see attending to the work of that role.

In a way, I find it a little ironic that we’re discussing stewardship of role when in the very beginning of 1st Samuel,  Hannah, Samuel’s mom, gives a stirring example of what good stewardship is. In 1 Samuel 1 (which we read a few days ago), Hannah presents a vow to the Lord that if He would bless her with a son, she would give him right back. And she did. Because Hannah understood that whatever good we have in our lives is from the Lord and in that, she was simply a steward.

So here we are, looking on at the inner struggle of stewardship, authority and anointing that was raging inside of Saul. One can’t help but wonder…do we hold on too tightly to the things that we call our own but truly belong to the Lord? How would it change our perspectives if we really understood that nothing we had was truly ours? Would it change our point of view on our jobs, our classes, our kids or our positions? Would it make us more thankful?

Consider: 1 Samuel 15

We’ve been talking about identity over the last month on Wednesday nights at Awaken. We’ve seen how God sees us and what He says about us. We’ve also seen how Jesus paid a huge price for our new identity in Him.

With that in mind…

There was a couple of lines that stood out to me in 1 Samuel 15 this morning and it deals with our identity and our obedience in walking out that identity.

Saul had been instructed to completely destroy the Amalekite nation… everything. And we find in verse 9 that Saul and his men only destroyed what was worthless to them or of poor quality. Anything they felt had value they kept.

Enter Samuel, the prophet of God.

Samuel confronts Saul about this disobedience. Checkout the conversation between the two men after Samuel initially confronted Saul (verses 16-19):

Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! Listen to what the LORD told me last night!”

“What was it?” Saul asked.

And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The LORD has anointed you king of Israel. And the LORD sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’ Why haven’t you obeyed the LORD…?”

The conversation goes on with Samuel telling Saul that obedience is better than sacrifice, the point we’ve heard many times from this passage, but I wonder if we have overlooked a point that Samuel made to Saul?

Samuel reminds Saul of who he is and who God made him to be… the leader, the king of Israel. The main issue is Saul’s direct disobedience of the LORD’s command concerning the Amalekites, but could it also be Saul’s disobedience in living out his calling and identity from God?

God made Saul to be the king. He put him in that position and God expected Saul to lead. He expected him to fulfill the responsibilities of his calling.

In our own lives, God has given us a new identity. He’s made us a new creation. The very basic expectation is that we LIVE OUT that new identity. Could it be that we are disobeying God simply by not living the new life He’s given us?

No longer should it be about: “is this a sin or is that a sin”. It now should be: “are we living the life God has created for us?” Are we being the person He’s made us into?

It is vital that we live out our new identity. Jesus paid the price for it… so let’s go for it!