"THINK" SERIES: PART 7 - "WHATEVER IS NOBLE"

 THINK BIBLICALLY - #2 

" 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)

Most Christians know the Bible's great examples of character, dignity, gravitas, and honor. Men like Enoch, who the Bible says "walked with God" (Genesis 5:24) all the days of his life, and God thought so much of him that He took him to heaven as a very young man. How about Daniel, the prophet who inspired the Magi of the Christmas story? Daniel was so full of integrity, character, and love for God, that he refused to bow down to King Darius of Babylon's edicts and ended up in the lion's den (Daniel 6 here).

The man or woman of God who thinks and lives Biblically and stays diligent to that calling has a special place in the Heart of God. Look at what the Lord sent His chief warrior Angel Michael to say to Daniel, for his faithfulness and honor (Daniel 10:12) "“Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words". What words, you ask? Please read all of the book of Daniel, but especially Daniel's prayer in Chapter 9.

Our key verse for thinking Biblically - Philippians 4:8, has as its second exhortation from heaven: "Whatever things are noble". The original biblical Greek word here is "semnos" which means honorable, dignified, worthy of respect, and noble. 

It is not enough to be a faithful believer who lives right, pays taxes, obeys the law, goes to work, does a great job, loves God, and loves other people, primarily your family. It is not enough to do all of those wonderful things. We must carry ourselves - men and women - in such good repute that we not only NEVER bring the Name of Jesus to disrepute as too many Christians do these days, but there should be no doubt about who we are when we walk into our workplace, church, or community gathering, that this is a person who walks the talk.

Being a person of noble character also carries the moniker of one who does not gossip or engage in double-speech. This person is also temperate when everyone else is losing their collective minds. He or she is sensible and calm, gentle and firm, yet full of Truth and love. Being of noble character begins with THINKING God's thoughts. 

This is how Daniel's character shined so much that God took note and rewarded him with a special blessing from the Heavenly Throne. You and I can have that same favor with God that Daniel had.

All that you and I will need to do is have the same reverence, awe, respect AND self-respect which Daniel exhibited.  It all began with his thought life or his extremely high view of God. The meaning of the word "noble" in our verse, reminds us that we are commanded to think, and therefore act differently than the world around us.

Thinking Biblically by being in awe of God, by having the ultimate respect and reverence for Him and by living this way, is the true sign of a thoughtful lifestyle, based on Truth - His Truth - the Only Truth. Amen

Father, just as You have done in ages past, please give us the courage and boldness to live like Daniel did, the Courage to bow the knee to no one but You; the courage to proclaim Your Name to a dying corrupt world and the courage to live every moment with our guard up, so that we will never slip up in public or private. May we have those thoughts, beliefs, and actions which are consistent with the Truths of Scripture and walk with and in them all the days of our lives, in Jesus' Strong Name amen.

Image Credit: Free Christian Illustrations

THINK ON THESE THINGS - FRIDAY

STRESSED AND DISTRESSED

Yesterday's message/devotional on "CRUSHING" seemed to have touched a nerve on an issue we must address. There was some amazing response, which you will not see in the comments section of the blog. Therefore, I have postponed the daily look at Hebrews 11 (the Faith Chapter) until Monday. Today, I wish to speak to what is becoming a huge problem in families...and that thing is RESPECT.


My friend Lynn Mosher spoke about the 'Aroma of Crushing'.  It was a beautiful premise which underlined Christ's teaching about the grain of wheat having to fall to the earth and "die" so that beautiful wheat fields can be produced.

What also seems to be dying daily is the spirit of many young people - women and men - in the workplace! It is especially so for many young mothers, who are moms of kids from toddler to college age. It pertains to an increasingly out of whack balancing of a stressful work environment , where the demands to excel are increasingly conflicting with the duty of childcare, education and well-being of the family unit!


In the Sunday Message, I will go in depth into Anxiety and other issues and how to deal with them, using the Word of God. Today, I wish to briefly look at one side of this equation to inspire any mom reading this to not let the hyper-caffinated daily drumbeat devour her in a hostile, oppressive environment.  


"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" 1 Corinthians 6:19 (New American Standard Bible).

More and more women in the workforce are being viewed as sex objects and I have witnessed this first hand. Most men like myself have no problem with women supervisors as most of my own supervisors have been women. Having been brought up by a single mother (after my dad died when I was 11), I have nothing but respect for women.


But what is disconcerting, after a generation where the clouds of "sexual harassment" hung over the workplace (especially after the 1980's and 1990's Tailhook and Clarence Thomas scandals), is a brand new paradigm of "whatever"! This paradigm is powered by the ease and seemingly lack of accountability in social media relationship; sleazy reality shows on almost EVERY TV channel in America and a culture where more and more young women are using their bodies shamelessly.


As a result, because some working and/or professional women find themselves stretched by the demands to help pay (with their husbands, if they are married) the bills; pick up the kids at daycare or run Joey to football practice, they are sitting ducks for exploitation. What I am witnessing with great shock, is the ease some of this is manifesting itself in flirting, inappropriate lunch dates and extra-marital flings. To be sure, any man who has an affair with a married woman is both culpable and out of his mind.


While yesterday's message was on "Crushing", today's focus is all about on "Respect"....namely - "Self - respect". Nothing can be done, in the short run, about the demands of family, if we have children. This is called life. What we can affect is our conduct.  Some of my fellow male employees have to keep their eyes in their heads and have some sense of morality, for goodness sake. Exploiting a vulnerable stressed out lady is as despicable as attacking a referee at a school soccer game for making a call against your son.


At the same time, there will be less stress in those situations, which you and I observe, could be diffused and avoided, if appropriateness in dress and demeanor is practiced. I am not picking on women here. This is a suggestion which may lead to some pigs, who call themselves men, from taking advantage. Whenever possible, we men of God also need to step in, pull some of these men aside (whether they are Christian or not) and tell them to knock it off, respectfully. In some cases, we will have no influence or opportunity as some of the men are in higher positions than we are. In this case - PRAY!! Yes, pray!


While we are at it, let's pray for families; latch-key kids and all moms of all ages who have to work just to survive and make ends meet, just like the rest of us. Remember...the Key Word for today is  RESPECT....and it all starts with knowing who you are in Christ and WHOSE YOU ARE! Once this is understood, we can handle any situation! Agreed?


"....but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin..."1 John 1:7 (NASB).