Bowling Green Covenant Church

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”—Philippians 4.8, 9 (italics added) [NIV]

In his book, The Life God Blesses, Gordon MacDonald discusses what he calls disruptive moments and how they affect us. The first disruptive moment is crisis—the thing we cannot control. Next is the disruptive moment is that of wonderment—the thing we cannot explain. There is the disruptive moment of aging—the thing we cannot avoid. Lastly, he talks about the disruptive moment of spiritual discipline.

Spiritual discipline exercises the soul so as to “enlarge its capacity to hear God speak and, as a result, to generate spiritual energy that will guide and empower one’s mind and outer life.”[1] Given this definition it is no wonder that MacDonald describes spiritual discipline as something most of us would rather not do.

And yet, MacDonald is quick to point out that of the four disruptive moments we will face “spiritual discipline is the one we can bring under daily control…The choice lies in the decision to set aside the necessary time, embrace the habits of the masters, and engage with a waiting on God who seeks our communion.”[2]

MacDonald’s exhortation reminds me of something my preaching mentor, Haddon Robinson, once said, “Thinking is hard work,” he told us, “but thinking about thinking is even harder work. And good preaching requires thinking about thinking.” The same can be said for handling the disruptive moment of spiritual discipline.

With that in mind that we should pay close attention to Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 4.8 to think about “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Thinking about these things will help to enlarge the soul’s “capacity to hear God speak and generate spiritual energy that will guide and empower one’s mind and outer life.”

To be a follower of Jesus means taking responsibility for what we think about as well as what we do. Right belief leads to right behavior. A good thought life is the result of doing the hard work of thinking about the virtues listed in Philippians 4.8. The more we carefully reflect on these virtues, the more they will be integrated into our faith-walk following Jesus.

The practice of hard thinking about these virtues requires that we linger over them the way we linger at the dinner table with a cup of coffee after a delicious meal. We should not be in a hurry when we choose to think hard about whatever is true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, is excellent or praiseworthy.[3]

A complaining mind does not think—it reacts. It is undisciplined. A disciplined mind thinks. It does the hard work required to enlarge the soul’s capacity to hear God speak and generate spiritual energy that will guide and empower one’s mind and outer life.

You think about that.

MM

[1] Gordon MacDonald, The Life God Blesses, (Thom. Nelson, Nashville, TN ©1994), page 41.

[2] Ibid. Page 42.

[3] True is that which is dependable or real. Noble is whatever is worthy of respect or honor. Right refers to whatever is just. Pure refers to whatever is holy. Lovely is that which calls forth love or is attractive. Admirable is that which is well spoken of. Excellent is whatever is morally excellent. Praiseworthy means whatever is worthy of giving God praise for.