Think of These Things

"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 about these things." Philippians 4:8

The Heart of Birch Bay Ranch posted this verse on Facebook yesterday.  As I reflected on it, I thought I would share what was on my heart regarding that passage.  As cliché as this might sound, this verse is telling us to strive to “be the best we can be”.  God knows we are not perfect and I know He doesn’t expect us to suddenly become perfect, but I think this verse tells us that we need to be in pursuit of that perfect excellence.  He gives us a list of things to think about:  whatever is honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable - anything that is excellent....these are the things you should be thinking about.

This passage also reminds me that when we are striving for this kind of excellence, that we are not to loose hope and give up.  It may be discouraging to think that we will never be perfect, but think of the character you will build when you strive for purity and perfection.  Think about how proud God is of us as He looks down on His children, seeing how they are striving for all of these things that are worthy of praise.

This kind of excellence is not defined by where you came from but by where you are going, and how you are getting there.  It gives us hope of something greater.  It is a mindset that is always looking UP and never down.  The verse doesn’t say “think of these things, but you probably won’t be able to achieve them so give up now.”  

The best part is that we can find encouragement knowing that God will give us the things we need to live an excellent life!  Negative circumstances, difficult situations and self doubt are just roadblocks thrown in our way to stop us from continuously pursuing excellence and doing what is right.

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”  2 Peter 1:3-4

No matter what we do we have to strive to live in “His glory and excellence” because God has given great and precious promises to those who do so.  I believe that when we strive for a ‘mediocre life’, and continue to live in the gray area, we are missing out on these gifts and promises.  We won’t be able to truly share His divine nature which is one of the key missions of Birch Bay Ranch.  Also, as the verse says, we won’t be able to escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

When you are striving for truth, purity, honour, justice, worthiness I believe you are setting yourself up for righteousness.  When you make all of your decisions based on these things and think of these things in all that you do, chances are you will do the right thing.

We cannot achieve any of this on our own.  We are sinful and need grace and mercy to pursue this kind of Godly excellence.  Jesus died on the cross and through his death and resurrection we are given the grace needed to make this spiritually possible.

What are your thoughts?