I write to you today from the context of Philippians 4, one of my favorite chapters in the New Testament. In verse eight and following, the passage states,
“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. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
The mind is extremely powerful. What we think of controls many areas of our lives. We find ourselves so easily manipulated by the standards of the world that we drift away from the Biblical viewpoint of the world. It starts with a decision that we make. We choose to engage in certain conversations that may be talking negatively about someone or complaining about a circumstance; we choose to watch certain television shows, etc. Charles Stanley says that when we do these things we are “unconsciously adopting the world’s thinking.”
I’ve been reading from Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the Christian community, and here is what he had to say on dreaming:
‘God hates dreaming, for it makes people proud and demanding. Those who have dreamed up an image of community demand its fulfillment by God, by others and by themselves. They come into the fellowship of Christians as demanders and set up their own law. They act as if it is they who have the task of creating the Christian community, as if their dream image is supposed to obligate other people. Anything that does not go according to their will is called failure. When their dream comes to nothing, they see the community falling apart.”
Instead of demanding more, we ought to receive more gratefully. It is very easy to choose to dwell on the negative aspects of life; for example, what we don’t have. True joy does not come from always wanting more or wishing for more.
I came to be thinking upon this whole idea of thought life during these past few months of living far away from all of you, all that I had grown accustomed to. When I first moved here, I had many thoughts in my mind, ideas, dreams that I had laid before myself. ‘The Lord has called me here for a reason,’ I said over and over again, and I had many ideas as to what that could be. ‘He’s going to use me in some big and mighty way.’ I would think. I dreamed of being involved heavily in a church, having many new relationships, and always being busy. These were my plans and dreams, but God was realistically, nowhere in this picture. I became depressed because my dreams weren’t working out the way I wanted them too.
What I began to realize is that God has to work inwardly before He can work outwardly. Our hearts and inner minds need to be fixed upon Him, and to have the dirt of selfish ambition washed away. And this is not an instantaneous thing! Our society runs on impatience! We build faster and newer computers each year to satisfy our cravings and “I want it now!” disease. Of course this is an obvious example, and I am sure there are better ones than that, but you get the point.
Another good point that Bonhoeffer made was that being a Christian is not a matter of a moment. We don’t just become a Christian and that’s it! We are becoming a Christian every day of our lives. It takes time and diligence! 2 Timothy 2:15 states that we are to
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We need to be studying the word of God every day! There will be difficult days where we won’t feel like studying or working hard, but those are the times when we need to try all the harder!
I have recently joined a gym and it’s amazing to me how much it relates to the spiritual life. I now understand why Paul used so many athletic examples in his letters. 1 Corinthians 9: 24ff says thus,
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
No victory can be achieved without hard work. Our spiritual wellbeing depends upon how well we train. Do you work at it once a week, or just when you are in the mood? Do you push yourself despite the desire to just take a rest? We may endure trials in life, but they are placed there to make us stronger. And the stronger we become, the harder the trials become, but we are given the strength to bear them (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Coming back to the idea of thought life, I once again state that our thoughts influence the things we do. The more I dwell on negativity, the more depressed I am, and the more I compare myself to others. Dwelling on circumstances we are in never brings us peace. Paul wrote the letter of Philippians while he was in prison. Had he focused on that fact, he could never have written about the peace of God. When I think about that, I find myself sincerely humbled. No matter what hardship each of us endures, we are blessed by God. Each hardship is designed for our benefit. The more I think upon God’s truth, the more joy I find myself having. I no longer think upon what I don’t have, what I can’t do, and where I am not. I think upon what I am becoming, the mark of the Christian life, the importance of other people, and the beauty that surrounds me!
We do not need to be enslaved by our thoughts. Satan’s desire is nothing more than to see us alienated from God. He will inflict mental strongholds upon us to keep us as far away from God as possible. But we are to have the mind of Christ, and by having Him in our hearts, we have the power to turn away from the devil’s schemes. Proverbs 23: 7, “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” The more we think about other things besides God; gossip, comparisons, material wealth, work, etc., the more we become like those things. That is why we need to daily study the word, pray, fellowship with one another, to keep on track with how we need to be. Just as I need to be physically exercising my body to make it stronger, so my spiritual life needs to be exercised. That also includes eating right, taking my vitamins, and drinking lots of water. We cannot hope to become more spiritual unless we put good things into our lives as well. Our mold must be Christ, not the world. We are to be conformed into His image. The thoughts of our minds must be centered on Him, not on the world and it’s negativity.
This is briefly, what I have been learning since my move to the great North. I miss all of you greatly up here, and while I wish I could be there to fellowship with you and see all the exciting things that are to take place, I know that for a time, this is the place that I have been called to, and I am blessed to be where I am. Indeed, the Lord places us where He does, and while it may seem like nothing is going on at the time, He is working in and through you to make you more Christ like. As always, I appreciate any meditations you may have on this subject and many more.
Faithfully Yours,
Corinne McFee
