Whatever is Pure and Noble...

from Pastor Jay Hutchens

Finally, brothers, 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. 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)

The summer before I began college in 1983, my dad gave me an old vinyl recording that he had had back in the 60’s of the motivational speaker, Earl Nightingale. I recorded the LP to cassette tape and would listen to it frequently when I made the eight hour driving treks from New Orleans to College Station, TX.

Today, there’s not much I remember from that recording except one phrase that has stuck with me. Nightingale said, “You are what you think about – all day long.”

My seven year old son Will has discovered the truth of this principle in his love for the Star Wars movies. He lives, breathes, eats, and sleeps Star Wars. He builds Star Wars Lego models. He reads (yes, reads!) books about Star Wars and when he’s around other children he’s leading them to play out some scene from one of the Star Wars movies he’s seen. Will’s dream at seven is to become a Jedi Knight – a dream for which Will and his friends rehearse daily.

There’s a shadow side to this principle as well. That sometimes the negative thoughts we give room to in our minds determine the shape of our outlook and the form of our character. When we dwell continually on our past failure, we look at new opportunities and challenges through the lens of that failure and become defeated before we ever begin. When we live with ongoing thoughts of regret and remorse, we experience with that feelings of inadequacy and not being deserving of the love and grace shown to us. Nightingale was right. We become what we think about – all day long.

That’s why Paul the apostle encourages us to think on things that are noble and righteous – because he knows that when we do this steadfastly, we become what we think about. We become righteous and noble people.

Of course, the cynics among us would like us to believe that “no one is righteous.” And that has biblical warrant as well. Was it Sartre who said (self-righeously?) that “all are guilty.” And that would be true, were it not for the new life offered to us as we become followers of God. Sartre is right. In a world without God, no one is righteous and all are guilty. But what if God chose to make righteous that which was guilty? What if God were to restore our innocence and nobility as we respond to his grace in faith and love?

The world would have us believe that this isn’t possible. Once a sinner, always a sinner the world tries to pigeon hole us. But the good news is something quite different. As we practice the way of faith, God restores us to a state of grace and righteousness in a way that we could never do by ourselves!

And that’s the righteousness that Paul would have us think about. God has done the work that you could never do. Praise God for that. Now accept what God has done and acknowledge the new creation you are and live nobly and with honor. It’s not only possible – but for the believer – it’s the reality we experience each day. Leave the regret, remorse, and feelings of “not measuring up” behind and find peace in the fact that God has and is touching your life this very day with incredible grace and love. Your sins are forgiven. Arise now and walk.

The "Big-If"!

Dt 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

I've been doing my daily scripture reading in the book of Deuteronomy this week. You know Deuteronomy don't you? It's one of those Old Testament books at the front of your Bible where the pages stick together because it hasn't been read that much! On the scale of "interesting" Deuteronomy usually ranks up there with Leviticus or Numbers.

But I've discovered something powerful in the book of Deuteronomy. Basically, it's an extended speech delivered by Moses as the Israelites are just on the verge of crossing the Jordan river and entering the Promised Land - the land that they've been waiting for all through their forty year wandering in the wilderness. They've been promised over and over that this land will be beautiful - it will flow with "milk and honey." The land will take care of them. It will be a place abundant with peace and justice. It will provide for their every need, If…

And there's a "big if." Actually it's the "big if" we all face in life when we wander in the desert. Some of us may not even be aware that the "big if" exists. Or we may be aware of the "big if" but it so scares us because actually we've become accustomed to and comfortable with our desert and following through with the "big-if" means a radical departure from what we know, even if what we know is painful and certainly not what life could be.

So here's the "big if" that I've been reading about all week in the book of Deuteronomy. It starts with the Hebrew word - Shema - which simply means "hear." "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

Sure, you think. The Bible is supposed to say stuff life that. Yeah, yeah. We know. Love God and then life will be blessed. We've heard that before, we say, as our pain and our wandering continues. We live with a meager satisfaction that things in our life are "nice." But we know, because God never lets us forget, that life could be so much better.

Often that new life begins with a vision. Using your imagination you think to yourself, okay, I'm tired of the pain, God. What COULD this life be. And the thought occurs that you COULD work every day even every hour to achieve that life. And it occurs to you that even working hard wouldn't bring about the life you want. Because the life you want really isn't about work. It's about something else. It's more fundamental than that. It's about your inner-most spirit, your orientation to life itself, your orientation to, dare we utter it, God!

And in a moment, all of the things you're really not-so comfortable with because you're tired of the "nice" life seem insignificant because in God you've discovered a "land flowing with milk and honey." You've let go of the fears you have of all the giants on the other side of the Jordan river you've been told about. And you allow God to lead you. Holiness no longer seems like a burden. It's pleasant. Holiness is awesome! It's life-giving. It's walking with God and being in God's presence and living the will of God. And it's living as a free person in this world because you’re a slave to God (rather than a slave to all the thousands of other little gods in our lives).

That's Deuteronomy in a nutshell. A celebration of holiness. True life. An authentic, integral orientation toward a loving God. It's the life God wants you to have as he takes you to your promised land - IF - and it's a big "IF" - you can simply trust in the power and person of God.

(reposted from February 2005)