if anything is excellent or praiseworthy

think about such things

Philippians 4:8

the subject for today is:

Lop-sided Christians

Let us again open the Bible and read some from it

Today from: Philippians 4:2-9

Philippians 4:2-9 (Tyndale)

2 I pray Euodias, and beseech Sintiches that they be of one accord in the Lord.  3 Yea and I beseech thee faithful yokefellow, help the women which laboured with me in the gospel, and with Clement also, and with other my labour fellows, whose names are in the book of life.  4 Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say rejoice.  5 Let your softness be known unto all men. The Lord is even at hand.  6 Be not careful: but in all things show your petition unto God in prayer and supplication with giving of thanks.  7 And the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts, and minds in Christ Jesus.  8 Furthermore brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things pertain to love, whatsoever things are of honest report, if there be any virtuous thing, if there be any laudable thing, those same have ye in your mind,  9 which ye have both learned and received, heard and also seen in me: those things do, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Dear Friends,

 
Let us look at the dramatic change in the life of the psalmist when he entered into the sanctuary. It is important to realise that it was not merely the physical act of entering the sanctuary that brought about change. That was important, but something else happened that was even more important. Listen again to how he puts it: "[When] I entered the sanctuary ' then I understood their final destiny" (Ps.73:17). The word to note is "understood".

In the presence of God the psalmist was given clear understanding.

This is an extremely important point and one which cannot be emphasised too strongly:

·       what he found in the sanctuary was not merely a nice feeling but a new understanding.

·         He was put right in his thinking.

·         He did not merely forget his problem for a little while - he found a solution.

The idea that many Christians have of the house of God or Christian fellowship is that it is a good place to go in order to forget one's troubles for a while. They are soothed by the music and the singing, or perhaps, in some churches, by the beauty of the architecture, and they come away saying, "What a lovely feeling I get whenever I go to church."

There is nothing wrong with that as far as it goes, of course, but the real issue is this: has anything happened to their minds? The psalmist was not changed by the architecture of the Temple; he was changed when his thinking was put right: "Then I understood their final destiny."

If the practice of our faith does nothing more than excite our emotions and fails to give us a better understanding of God and His ways, then we will be lop-sided (= asymmetrical, unbalanced) Christians.

Prayer:

O Father, save me from becoming a lop-sided Christian. Give me not only joy to thrill my emotions but understanding to guide my intellect. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.

Further study:

Psa. 48:1-9; 119:59; 1 Sam. 12:24

1.       What did the psalmist meditate on in the Temple? 

2.       What are we to consider?

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