Think on these things

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Does anyone else find this incredibly difficult.  I mean I know what I am supposed to think, meditate, on but it seems like everything in our world is trying to keep us thinking about other things.  

I mean let's look at it, "true",  how do you focus on truth when it seems that you cannot count on anyone to give you the truth.  You look at anything on the Internet, newspapers, news stations it seems like everything is slanted one way or another to get you to buy into their truth.  There doesn't seem to be any absolute truth anymore.  Even within the church, what is true for one church is not necessarily true for another.  

Whatever things are noble, honorable from the root word meaning to revere, religious.  Is there any honor anymore?  It doesn't seem that people value nobility or honor anymore, for true nobility is having an excellent moral character and morality seems to be a thing of the past.  

Whatever things are just.  Justice is something we cry out for when it comes to others, but not so much for ourselves.  Just, is more and more subjective, we say things like "he was just in doing that". "I am justified in my actions".  Without moral absolute every action can be justified by the individual who chooses it.

Whatever things are pure.  Purity, really?  It seems to be a gag for the tabloids.  Even if you try to be pure or think on things that are pure you just have to wake up in the morning and the world is bombarding you with everything but purity.  From TV, Movies, commercials, radio, internet, all around us.  Even opening your email can be a land mine of negotiating through spam emails trying to seduce you into every  impure act known to man.  Drive by your local junior or senior high school and you will what our kids, especially our sons are up against.  Girls fully developed wearing short shorts or skirts, low cut tops, leaving nothing to the imagination.  I am amazed that parents allow their daughters to dress like this.  Even if boys wanted to think on what is pure, it is nearly impossible.
Whatever things are lovely.  These are the things that one has an affection towards.  So the things that you like.  The things that you think about, are the things that you are friendly towards, the things you like, so ask yourself, what is it that dominates my thinking?  What is on my mind when I wake up?  When I fall asleep?
Whatever things are of good report.  What things have a good reputation, well spoken of.  Are you looking for the good to focus on, or are you focused on the bad.  When you mind is continually focused on the bad, whether it is personally in your own life, or in society or in the world, it will have an affect on you and what you do.  God knows there is a lot of horrible things going on in the world, and I don't believe that he is saying that we are not to be aware of that what is happening, but the question is what are you focused on?  Try focusing on things that are of good report and see if that doesn't change your attitude and your behavior.
If there is any virtue?   Virtue comes from the same root word as manliness.  A man of valor, excellence.  Is there any virtue?  Do we see men or women that are worthy of praise?  Men and women of valor, courage, bravery?  I think we do, those are the stories we need to hear more about.  Yes there are plenty of people that make the news for messing up, but what about having more news about those that step up to the plate, put their lives on the line, the true unsung heroes of our time?
The next goes along with the above, if there is anything praiseworthy, mediate on these things. 
How would our lives change if we started putting this verse into practice each and every day.  If we got rid of the idea that "sex sells"  and replaced it with "valor sells"  "nobility sells".  Turned off the violent TV shows, games, stayed away from movies that didn't uplift.  Remember this only pertains to Christians, although I believe everyone would benefit from doing this. 
But my challenge is to Christians, examine this week what you are watching, listening too, reading and run everything the filter of Philippians 4:8, and see what may need some changing.  I believe for too long we have slowly allowed the enemy to take control of our minds.  I know when I am conscientiously aware I am amazed by the oh so subtle and subtle ways the enemy uses to take me away from who God made me to be.  If you take this challenge, please let me know, what if any changes God challenges you to make in your life.  I would love to pray for you and with you.  God Bless

  

Sanctify Yourselves

How do you fall asleep at night?  What is your routine?  Do you read a book, watch TV, pray talk to your spouse, shower?  We all have them, the routines that we do without thinking each and every night before we close our eyes and go to sleep.  Routines are sometimes started very early in life, think about the routines to put your child to bed, is it a bedtime story, saying their prayers, kisses all around, that last glass of water, whatever it is routines are part of our lives. 

What if we started a new bedtime routine?  What if this new routine was able to totally transform your life?  In the book of Joshua the children of Isreal are told the following:

Joshua 3:5 Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow The Lord will do wonders among you.  

Wow, sanctify yourselves, now that is a radical idea for a bedtime routine.  Now sanctify yourself means to make yourself clean, dedicate yourself, prepare yourself.

Think about it, what if instead of catching up on the latest news or sports scores before bed you cleansed your mind of worldly things to focus on Godly matters?  What if you spent the last few moments before falling to sleep meditating on the Word of God?  Spent time in prayer thanking God for the day you just had but also anticipating all that God was going to do tomorrow?  Remember the verse says Sanctify yourself for tomorrow The Lord will do wonders among you.  

Do you ever stop and think, "I wonder what The Lord has in store for tomorrow?  Look at all the miraculous things He did for me today, tonight I wait in anticipation with what tomorrow will bring."

How would our lives be changed, what could tomorrow bring, if each night before we went to bed, we sanctified ourselves in anticipation of what God would do tomorrow? 

Why not give it a try, join me for the next 21 days in going to bed every night by sanctifying ourselves in anticipation of what wonders God is going to do.  

Please let me know if you are in, and share what God does in the next 21 days in your life.

Two Lessons from the Book of Samuel

I have been reading about Samuel in the Bible. In case you don't know the story of Samuel, let me give you a little background into his life. You will find the story of Samuel in the book of First Samuel. Starting in chapter one we learn that Samuel's father is Elkanah. Elkanah has two wives, one is Peninnah and Hannah. Now Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not have any children. Hannah cried out to The Lord, and The Lord blessed her with a son, Samuel. Amazingly, on Hannah's part, she promised God that if He would bless her with a child, she would give the child back to God. So that is exactly what Hannah did, after Samuel was weaned, Hannah took Samuel to the temple and gave him to God. So that is where we find Samuel, growing up in the Temple, serving God.

So now two lessons I learned from Samuel:

The first is we ought to listen to God's voice rather than man's. When we have a question, problem, decision shouldn't the first thing we do be pray? Before reading a book, asking someone else, pray, not that God won't use some of these things, but we need to personally be praying and learning to listen to the voice of God. Much like Samuel had to learn, when his first inclination was to go to Eli, he had to learn to just be still and listen to the voice of God.
You see one night when Samuel was sleeping he heard someone call out his name and Samuel ran to Eli, the Priest to see what he wanted. The problem was,Eli did not call Samuel and told Samuel to go back to sleep. Again the same thing happened and again Eli tells Samuel to go back and lie down. The third time that it happened, Eli realized that it must be The Lord calling Samuel (why it took Eli, a Priest, so long to figure out is a story for another time), but now Eli tells Samuel to go back and lie down and when he is called again say, "Speak Lord for your servant hears". So when Samuel heard the voice of The Lord he had to learn to listen. We too need to learn to listen to God. God is still speaking, are we listening?

Second lesson:
Growing up in a church is not a guarantee that one knows or will obey The Lord. As we know Samuel grew up in the temple, now I'm don't just mean that he went to church every week, but he actually grew up there and served in the Temple. Eli also had two sons that also grew up serving in the temple, but growing up in the Temple did not guarantee what kind of men they would grow up to be, each had to decide for himself if he would follow God.
Now when Samuel first heard the call of God, we are told "now Samuel did not know The Lord, nor had the word of The Lord yet been revealed to him". Interesting for someone raised in the church, but being raised in the church is not a guarantee of a relationship with God, that came by being obedient to te call of The Lord. Samuel was obedient to God's calling and we are told that Samuel grew, and The Lord was with him.
However we are told that Eli's sons were evil. So evil that it was told to Eli that his sons would both die in the same day and that God would find another priest who would faithfully serve God in the Temple.
So you see, although raising your children up in the church is a good thing, there will come a time when they will have to choose for themselves to be obedient to the voice of God.