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How to Develop
Christ-like Motives Have you ever heard yourself saying one of these lines?
When we read Scripture, it’s easy to think Paul, for
instance, was so spiritual and we are so not
and lose heart. The next step is to say there is nothing we can do because we
are not as spiritually strong as Paul—especially when you read a passage like
this. “Content in every state!” Yikes! “I’m
maybe never gonna' get there!”
So we become demotivated and stall spiritually. But let’s look again at key words from Paul's letter to
the Philippians. Let’s retitle them: Paul’s
Principles for becoming a Spiritual Adult (like Paul). Let’s look at some
thought patterns that lead to spiritual heights. No, we may never be “Paul”
but God didn’t call us to be someone else. We already possess all we need to
become spiritual giants. It’s a lot in how we look at our spiritual goals and
our motivations. Paul doesn’t begin with our doing anything. Paul reminds us that God is responsible for our spiritual growth. We just cooperate. 1 – “…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (1:6). Get this: God has a vision of good works he wants to accomplish in and through us. He has already begun equipping us for our contribution to the kingdom. Before we have anything to offer others, God must work in
us, purifying and tweaking our thought patterns and our world view. God’s idea of completion in Scripture is that of
wholeness. Holiness and wholeness were synonymous in the Old Testament. Remember
the lambs for offerings—they had to be whole and without blemish. So God is in
the process of erasing our ‘old
tapes’ and replacing them with God’s words
of love and acceptance. God wants us to view the world and ourselves from
God’s perspective. We are deeply loved sinners, whom Christ came to restore.
Thus, we are all in the process of being reprogrammed—with God’s ideas. God
is restoring and God will make something wonderful. He always does. So what
might completion—or spiritual maturity look like? Paul prays for the Philippians that their: 2- “…their love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight . . .” (1:9). Interesting that Paul didn’t begin with works but with
love. Why love? Because love is the
center of the Christian life—God’s love for us, our love for God, ourselves
and others. (Read
the rest of verses 9-11). Paul certainly makes it sound like love
precedes knowledge More love
produces more knowledge and depth of insight.
Knowing Paul, love for God is the first implication. Love for God
increases knowledge of God—how might that happen? Love for God would mean
spending more time with God. Spending more time with God would lead to knowing
God, not about God. Knowledge of God
need not include love for God. Remember Paul’s life before the fall from his
horse? (Acts 9) The more I know of
God, the more I want to know. And the more I want to know, the more time I spend
getting to know God. No shortcuts. But the promise of large chunks of time with
God is ‘more knowledge and depth of insight’. Boy, do I need that! One result of ‘depth of insight’ is how we view the world and our relation to it. 3 – “…what has
happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” Remember where Paul is? In jail. That’s some insight.
‘Yeah, I’m in jail but that doesn’t matter because it’s all good for the
Gospel.” Okay, so God hasn’t
called us to jail but translate this
into everyday language. Try out this principle in your life: “It’s not about me. What’s really important is God’s reputation and
God’s plans.” What about not
getting my way in that board meeting or not
having to win that argument with my spouse?
A major sign of spiritual maturity is being able to choose what is best
for the kingdom, even at a disadvantage to myself. Am I promoting my own kingdom
or God’s? Paul helps us with how promote God’s kingdom: 4 – "Because of my chains… others have been encouraged" (1:13-14). Paul
possessed an amazing ability to see God in ordinary, even dire, circumstances.
Paul knew God so well that his focus was not on his circumstances. He was
constantly scanning the scene looking for Christ in every event and
conversation. We need to cultivate this habit of paying attention to God’s
surprising appearances in ordinary events. God appears many times a day in a
word of encouragement, a rainbow, a word from scripture that seems written just
for you and a sense of God’s presence. Paul’s motivation was always that God
be seen and heard. Another sign of spiritual maturity is Paul’s ability to be charitable and gracious. 5 - "What does
it matter? The important thing is that in every way… Christ is preached"
( Paul was not tempted by jealousy of others preaching
Christ. He was so focused on Christ that
it consumes all his attention. He did not get caught up in petty arguments. A
helpful practice for us to ask: Will this matter in eternity? Will it even
matter next month? Focus not on who
is elected to which committee or who said what. Practice saying
to yourself: “If it doesn’t matter in eternity then I won’t care
now.” Then move on.
(Whose kingdom am I serving?) 6 – “…whether
by life or by death” Paul has faced death so many times he can now hold it lightly. Or is he more focused on heaven than on life on earth? John Eldredge quotes Peter Kreeft on heaven in The Sacred Romance: “Pathetic modern substitutes of fluffy clouds, sexless
cherubs, harps and halos presided over by stuffy divine Chairman of the Bored
are a joke, not a glory.” Paul’s picture of heaven is obviously,
dramatically different to inspire him to choose death over life. We forget about
heaven completely for weeks on end. Perhaps if we thought more about heaven, we
could hold events here lightly,
giving them less importance (that eternal question again). 7 “…I desire to
depart and be with Christ” Paul sees heaven as desirable—to be face to face
with Jesus, at last. Paul’s life
is clearly more absorbed with Christ than anything this world can offer.
What if our life motivation was simply Christ? How, then, would we spend
our time and money? And on whom? 8 – “I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in
the faith” (
Paul amazes me that he can be so
other-oriented in jail (for the Gospel!). Another motivation seen in the mature
is the ability to think of others during their own trials. It must be practiced
but it IS possible to become other-oriented. 9 – “Whatever
happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel...” The context of this passage is one of standing firm despite
what others think. Recently I heard
Eugene Peterson speak and a major emphasis was that the Gospel was never
relevant and we are meant to be relevant now. Forget the media messages. Forget
being politically correct and live your life motivated by the words of Jesus. 10- “…without
being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.” Few of us fear backlash from living a Christian life.
(Maybe we should!) Cultural translation: Whose approval do you live for?
Designer labels, being kissable—or worse,
driving a Lexus, having the latest ________ = our culture’s pressure to
demotivate us from living out of godly motivations. Why do we care so much what
a mere mortal thinks and brush aside our tender, lover-God? 11 – “…since
you are going through the same struggle….” Paul does not live in some spiritual euphoria and minimize
struggles. Paul encourages us to embrace suffering when God calls us to suffer
for the Gospel. Our culture tells us to avoid pain at all costs—but what if
God calls you to care and to pray for the poor and the lost? What then is to be
our motivation? The secret of Paul’s spiritual maturity is his
focus—Paul has one motivation only: Christ. Developing Christlike motives
comes from focusing on Christ. What would Christ want done in this situation?
What words would glorify Christ? Spiritual maturity is the ability to move beyond myself as the center of the universe. “Forgive me Lord for the thing I’ve made it [worship], when it’s all about you, Jesus” says a modern chorus. But that’s it—it’s all about Jesus—my life, my plans, my time are all about YOU, Jesus. Paul got it. Do we? |
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