Philippians 4:8-9 page 1
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Philippians 4:8-9 page 1 |
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1. Why Should I Study? A spokesman at Göttingen
University said it was 'about time he took up some other career and made room
for a youngster'. But at least he was studying! Study, and the use of our minds, is one of the great neglected spiritual disciplines of Christianity. As Oswald Chambers put it: 'As long as the devil can keep us terrified of thinking, he will always limit the work of God in our souls.' And as someone else has said: 'If
God had meant Christians to think, he'd have given them brains.' Study is a vital discipline for this reason: what we fill our minds with will affect our actions. Paul knew this when he urged the Philippian Christians in verse 8: 'Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.' On Wednesday night as I was starting to put together this sermon, I received my weekly email from the well-known American pastor Rick Warren. Don't get me wrong, I'm not pally with him, he sends out 'Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox' to tens of thousands of ministers around the world! Each weekly email contains tasters for articles on his website, www.pastors.com The lead article this week was bang on the nail for this week's theme of 'Study'. It was called, Pastor, What's On Your Mind? In the article, Warren lists six areas of our lives that are influenced by our thoughts. They are: MY INTERPRETATION INFLUENCES MY SITUATION It's not what happens to me that matters as much as how I choose to see it. The way I react will determine whether the circumstance makes me better or bitter. I can view everything as an obstacle or an opportunity for growth - a stumbling block or a stepping stone. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4, NIV) MY IMPRESSIONS INFLUENCE MY DEPRESSIONS In other words, my mind affects my moods, my thinking determines my feelings. If I'm feeling depressed, it's because I'm choosing to think depressing thoughts - about my work, family, or anything else. While you cannot always control a feeling, you CAN choose what you think about - which will control how you feel. "Hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught..." (Psalm 55:2, NIV) MY BELIEFS INFLUENCE MY BEHAVIOUR We always act according to our beliefs - even when those ideas are false. For instance, as a child, if you believed a shadow in your bedroom at night was a monster, your body reacted in fear (adrenaline, sweat, etc.) even though it wasn't true. That's why it's so important to make sure you are operating on true information! Your convictions about yourself, about life, and about God influence your conduct. "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples." (John 8:31, NIV) MY SELF-TALK INFLUENCES MY SELF-ESTEEM You are constantly talking to yourself unconsciously. When you walk into a room full of strangers, what do you tend to think about yourself? To develop more confidence you're going to have to stop running yourself down! "As he thinks in his heart, so is he." (Proverbs 23:7, NKJV) MY ATTITUDE INFLUENCES MY ABILITY Winners expect to win. Your perception controls your performance. Mohammed Ali only lost two fights in his career. Before both of them, he said something that he hadn't said before other fights: "If I should lose this fight ...." "All things are possible to him who believes." (Mark 9:23, NKJV) MY IMAGINATION INFLUENCES MY ASPIRATION In other words, your dreams determine your destiny. To accomplish anything, you must first have a mission, a goal, a hope, a vision. "Without a vision the people perish." (Proverbs 29:18) [End of quote from article.] We can see, then, that for us to think properly and fill our minds with the good things of God will make a considerable difference to our discipleship. The danger in our culture is that we spend too much of our time absorbing unhealthy ways of thinking from the media. In 1989 the American serial killer Ted Bundy was sent to the electric chair. Bundy had killed thirty-one women. Hours before he died he said this: 'Those of us who have been influenced by violence in the media, in particular pornographic violence, are not some kind of inherent monsters. We are your sons, your husbands. Lots of other kids playing the streets around this country today are going to be dead tomorrow and the next day and the next month because other young people are reading the kinds of things and seeing the kinds of things in the media today ... You keep craving something that is harder and gives you a greater sense of excitement until you reach a point where the pornography only goes so far and you wonder whether actually doing it will give you that which is beyond just reading about it and looking at it. He began with 'soft core' pornography around the age of thirteen or fourteen. 'I want to emphasise,' he said, 'this is the most damaging kind of pornography.' He
had been a law student, and a political worker, and had grown up in a 'wonderful
home with two dedicated and loving parents. It was a fine, solid Christian home
and I hope no one will try to take the easy way and try to blame or otherwise
accuse my family of contributing to this.' Now you may say you are nothing like Bundy. But how many murders do we see in television drama? What are the real values espoused in our soap operas? Is it not vital, then, that Christians apply their minds to studying God's Word and all that is good? To do so may have great benefit for our discipleship. To fail to do so is to risk becoming indistinguishable from the moral pollution that leaves our society gasping for spiritual air.
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Copyright © David D Faulkner, 2006 except where other sources are attributed or noted as inspiration. |