As Paul the apostle
encouraged the Philippians to imitate him in desiring to attain and
apprehend all that Christ Jesus had for him, he told them these
words, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul knew that if he was in
the pressing forward motion he would be in the direction that God
intended for his life. In chapter three and verse fifteen of
Philippians Paul encourages the church members to be of the same mind
where we read:
Let us therefore, as
many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing you be
otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
The verse begins, “Let
us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded:” Let
us notice how Paul includes himself in this charge “Let
us therefore” and brings to a
conclusion his purpose to encourage those who are, “as
many as be perfect” which
means “brought to its end, finished, wanting nothing
necessary to completeness” to “be thus minded” or “with
the same mindset as Paul”. Not only did Paul desire for himself to
forget his past, reach toward the future, and press toward the mark
for the prize, but he desired that the Philippian church members do
so as well.
The
verse goes on to say, “and if in any thing you be otherwise
minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” Paul includes
those who might feel themselves to be an exception to the mindset he
desires for them - “and if in any thing you be otherwise
minded”. Paul had confidence that “God shall reveal even
this unto you” which means if they were thinking in any other
way, God would divulge this to them. It was the Lord who brought the
Philippian church into existence in the first place, and He was able
to sustain it, correct it, and bring to their attention “any
thing” that might be astray from His plan for them.
As we
think about Paul's charge to the Philippians, we may benefit from
putting ourselves in their place. Are we “thus minded” as
Paul? Do we have “any thing” in which we are “otherwise
minded” than he? If so we can be encouraged with the fact that
the Lord Jesus loves us enough to bring these things to our minds,
and when He does, our position and posture should be humility and
willingness to be aligned with His thoughts and not those of our own.
May the Lord Jesus help us to hear Him and yield to His perfect way
of thinking.
Next
time Paul writes about living what we already know, so read ahead,
and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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