Friday, November 22, 2013

What are you looking at!

Philippians 3  --  THE SPIRITUAL MIND  or  THINGS ROB JOY

Philippians 3:13-15  "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,m and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this to you."

Paul did not consider himself to have arrived at spiritual perfection.  He had his battles with the flesh and his memories of his past to remind him that he was not yet glorified.  BUT . . . he did not let these things control his intentions.  He had to make the choice to turn off the past and center himself in the mission he knew God had given him for the present keeping the future reward ever in his view.  When he said "I press toward the mark . . ." he obviously was not just sitting around waiting for Heaven to come.  He was diligently working, doing what the Lord had instructed him to do.

Paul had to make the effort to shift his focus away from the past and concentrate his energy in a new and opposite direction.  We all have things in our past that can feel like sinking sand or entangling vines holding us back and keeping us stuck.  Regrets.  Guilt.  Hurt.  Fear.  If I start thinking about the failures in my past, I can become quite discouraged quite quickly.  Looking back with this mindset is like falling down the Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole.  It takes me to a whole different world where nothing is as it seems and I can get lost wandering around in circles feeling so confused.  I have to make a serious effort to stop that kind of thinking as soon as I recognize it is happening!  Sometimes it takes great effort over and over to really get my mind back on track with the things it should be thinking about.

I have a goal just like Paul.  I intentionally want to live working to be worthy of the high calling of God.  We all have this calling.  I was a child of Satan and now I have been redeemed by the King of Kings and am His princess daughter!  I do not want to live with any of the old characteristics.  I do not want to be entangled and held back by the past.

Paul then states that all of us that are perfect should have this lifestyle.  Unsaved people are not going to be interested in pleasing King Jesus.  Brand new Christians may not have a complete understanding of God's freeing power.  Young people are not always able to look down the road very far or understand what they can accomplish for God.  But those of us that are "perfect" or mature need to be "thus minded."  We need to all have this goal in common, the goal of leaving the past behind us and pressing forward.

The Christian life is not a passive existence.  We are not supposed to just float along on the river of life and see what happens and react to each new circumstance as it comes along.  We are to be very PROactive!  It takes work to shift our focus away from the past.  It involves effort to "press" toward the prize.  It takes intention to realize where we are supposed to be headed and actually head there.  The Christian life is a life of action!

Take, for example, spreading the gospel.  Little children don't quite have the language skills to engage an adult in a conversation to share the gospel with them.  But even a little six year-old boy can hand out tracts to people he sees in the grocery store.  The child may not be mature in his mental growth or physical growth, but he is mature enough in his spiritual mind to take action at a level appropriate for his physical age.  A person without work or transportation may not get out of the house much, but they can pray for the visitation and 365 Club programs.  An invalid may not encounter anyone but the people who care for them, but they can be an encouragement with their words and show the joy of the Lord despite illness.   Every. Single. One. of us can have a vital part in the ministry of spreading the gospel.

Keep your mind on the spiritual perspective of every little thing that comes to you today.  When you encounter the grumpy sales clerk, choose words that let her know YOU have joy in your heart no matter what is happening.  When you get stuck in traffic, take the time to say a prayer for those in the church that you know are hurting.

And if you don't have your mind working this way, ask God to change you and show you what you can do.  That's what verse 15 is saying.  Ask God to help you shift your mind to the spiritual focus and the "things of this earth will grow strangely dim."  If you are looking at Christ and are focused on Him you will no longer see the things around you that discourage and hold you back! You will have the joy of the Lord as your strength!

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