September 5, 2016 PRACTICE THESE THINGS
Philippians 4:8-9: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
With no doubt, Paul’s life was transformed by the truth of the gospel. These final verses of Philippians capture the heart of the message that Paul had for the believers at Philippi-and for us as well-and they present us with two challenges. The first challenge deals with our thought life, and though it is for sure a formidable challenge in the natural, we can bring our thoughts in line with the gospel because we have been given a new mind. We all know the power of thoughts and it is true that the mind is the battleground. Proverbs 23:7 tells us that “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” We have to own our thoughts; we must understand that we choose what we think about. The battle of the thought life is all about whether we think out of the new mind that God has given us, or out of the old mind that dominated our thinking before we came to know the Lord. However, even as a believer, thinking as we should is not automatic; right thinking requires that we walk in newness, according to the Spirit of God within us. There is a maturing process that should be taking place in our walk with the Lord, and our thought life should be continually being formed to the new person we are in Christ. Let us heed the instructions of Paul and let us “practice these things,” and by so doing, we will experience His peace. The second challenge has to do with living our lives in such a way that we can say as Paul said: “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things.” Paul was not bragging, but was giving his testimony as to how God had totally changed his life. It is not arrogant to say to “do as I do,” provided our lives reflect the fact that we are living according to the gospel-the life of Christ in me. To live according to the truth of the gospel and for our life to resemble the life that Jesus demonstrated, may sound like a high calling, or even an impossibility, but because we are in Christ and have been made new, we can live such a life. This is not saying that we will be perfect, but it does mean that we are quick to deal with any failure or sin and we are quick to adjust our lives as the Spirit directs. Today, may each of us “practice these things.”
2 Corinthians 10:5: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Ephesians 4:23: “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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