THINK" SERIES: PART 12 - "IF THERE IS ANY VIRTUE....."

"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". (Philippians 4:8)

Can an authentic, practicing Christian, live a virtuous life, full of every attribute called for in this incredible verse (Philippians 4:8), 24/7/365, that is – all the time? In the natural – it is extremely difficult. Led by the Spirit of Christ – we absolutely, 100% can do it.  Jesus Himself prayed in John 17:15 “ I do not pray that You should take them out of the world but that You should keep them from the evil one”.

 

This section of the verse makes the statement “if there is any virtue”….and therefore, it begs the question: what really is virtue? The Biblical Greek word is “arete”. It means the following in modern English: uprightness; a gracious act; moral goodness (which we would expect it to be); excellence and has the sense of the highest level of moral excellence, personal qualities, and attributes. You get the picture.

 

In Galatians, the Bible gives us a big contrast between the evil attributes of this world (click here) and the Fruits of The Spirit of which each and every Christian should be a live and living example.  Virtue is one of the foundational blocks that makes those fruits of the Spirit, shine Jesus’ shine!

 

Since virtue and integrity are closely parallel, they are both an adjective and a verb.  They are almost synonymous. However, while these incredibly admirable qualities reflect the honesty, kindness, graciousness, transparency, and love that we have for God and man, a high degree of maintenance is required. The minute we let our individual guards down, we are in trouble. If there ever comes a time we take a break from actively praying for all those qualities in Phil 4:8 to not just remain in us, but continue to seek the Face of God daily through:

• Mediating, reading, and digging into His Word. While we all love and acknowledge the Psalms, as the official “Prayer Book of the Bible”, other Books of the Bible are extremely beneficial. Not just Proverbs, but Isaiah especially. The Book of Isaiah is so rich that it could be considered five different books. The rich history of the people of God and the Mighty Hand of God throughout, from the personal to the prophetic, could and should drive you and me to our knees.
• We also maintain a lifestyle full of virtue and integrity by, believe it or not, serving others. We need to make ourselves available for those who are younger than us, in both chronological years AND the Faith, to be the best example of the Lord, as we can.  To that end, we should:
• Do random acts of kindness, love, and thoughtfulness. The vast majority of people do not send greeting cards or letters of encouragement. Therefore, why don’t you and I just continue being a living tradition of writing notes of faithful encouragement and hope to someone who needs it, for whatever reason? This is sure to buck them up, so they can know that when the chips are down, they have a friend who loves Jesus and talks with Him. I tell you what, boxes of Christian cards, for all occasions, can be purchased very cheaply at Hobby Lobby. One box, for $10,  can last you six months to a year. The joy of a recipient of one of your encouragements would be priceless!
• Speak what is virtuous. There are countless Scriptures about the power of the tongue. The old adage "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, is Fake News!" Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit". What comes out of our mouths is, for the most part (not always), what is in our hearts. Therefore, let us be resolved to think biblically, so we can think righteously and act honorably. There is a pattern or sequence to this kind of living.
• Study the example of Jesus. While we are more headstrong or easily flummoxed by petty things like Peter, when he denied Christ, we can also be like the same Peter of whom it was asked and said in Acts 4:13 "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus". There is no greater virtue than to be like King Jesus!

There is more to be said on this subject. However, these five exhortations are a handful enough to keep us busy for half a lifetime, if we would just become very intentional about accomplishing even 85% of them. In all the commands, statutes and precepts of the Bible, we have the most difficult time keeping even the very few critical ones, were it not for God's Grace and the Holy Spirit. So, may we be resolved to bear down on these five listed above - and excel in them....like a virtuoso!

QUOTE DU JOUR ON VIRTUE FROM CS. LEWIS:

"Christianity seems at first to be all about morality, all about duties and rules and guilt and virtue, yet it leads you on, out of all that, into something beyond. One has a glimpse of a country where they do not talk of those things, except perhaps as a joke. Every one there is filled full with what we should call goodness as a mirror is filled with light. But they do not call it goodness. They do not call it anything. They are not thinking of it. They are too busy looking at the source from which it comes"

Heavenly Father, thank You in the Mighty Name of Jesus, for the simple tools, resources and guidance, which You have given, so that we may live honorable lives - upright in the sight of God and men, so that "if there is any virtue", may it be found in us. Amen.