The Word for Today
2022-09-26
"Whatever"
Written by Bob and Debby Gass
To instruct us about how to feed our minds, the apostle Paul writes: "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."
John Ortberg writes: "The striking word in that command is whatever. Our minds are being shaped all the time, but we have great freedom to pursue minds that flourish. As a bee that can find nectar in all kinds of flowers, we are now free - even commanded - to feed our mind on noble thoughts wherever we find them. The Bible itself commands us to look beyond just the Bible to feed our minds. Let us meditate for a moment on that phrase 'whatever is lovely.' Think of something that is 'lovely' to you. A sunset. A favourite novel... The face of someone you love. Music that makes you dance. Let your mind dwell there for a moment. Give it directed mental focus. You just obeyed the Bible. That 'counts.' You just opened your mind a bit to the flow of the Holy Spirit... The Holy Spirit's goal is not to get you really good at suppressing angry behaviour. It is for you to have a mind characterised by an ever-increasing flow of Spirit-guided, truth-based, life-producing thoughts and feelings. When we read about what is noble, when we see something praiseworthy, we experience what psychologist Jonathan Haidt called 'elevation.' We actually feel a slight expansion in our chest; we feel lighter in our bodies. Our emotions are inspired, and we want to become more excellent ourselves. That counts as obedience to Scripture. That is spiritual."
Soul food: Num 29:1-6; Matt 24; Rev 11:15-19; 1 Cor 15:50-58
Links to Bible verses: Holy Bible
First Record | Previous Record | Next Record | Last Record
Do let us know if this Word blessed you, by sending an email to gospel@radiopulpit.co.za
