Philippians 4:2-9
(v.8) “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
What Of Today’s Verse…
We continue to 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” (Psa. 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 Christians.
Let us Pray:
O Father, save me from becoming a lop-sided Christian. Give me not only joy to thrill my emotions but also understanding to guide my intellect. In Jesus’ Name, I ask it. Amen.
Words of Wisdom
God’s Motives
Questioning someone’s motives for their activities can become an overriding response to those to whom we relate. Wrong motives can result in broken relationships, poor business decisions, and falling out of the will of God. Sometimes we do not know the motive of another person. It is wrong for us to assume what their motive is until we have confidence that we know their intentions. When we do this, we have become judge and jury over them.
God has a motive for every one of His children. His desire is to bring us into a spacious place. He wants us to go beyond our borders of safety and security so that we might experience life at a level that goes beyond ourselves. What do you think of when you think of a “spacious place?” No limitations. A large, grassy field. Open air. These are positive images. Sometimes these spacious places encourage us to step out in faith into areas where we have never ventured. Sometimes we need to be rescued by the Lord. When Peter walked on the water, God was inviting him to a spacious place. He went beyond the borders of his boat and ventured into a completely new world. He did not have complete success in his venturing out, but it was a process that would lead him to the next victory in his faith walk with Jesus. Sometimes failure is what is needed in order to move us to the next level of faith with God. However, we must be willing to fail and let God rescue us.
The Lord delights in this process. His motive for His children is always love. It is always to bring us to a new level of trust and dependence on Him.
He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. 2 Samuel 22:20
