Philippians 1:12-13; Paradigm Shift

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.”

Preaching Jesus got Paul tossed into prison. Once he was there, he kept preaching and it became obvious to all that Jesus continued using Paul to further His gospel.  Paul chose to remain faithful even when being faithful got him put in prison. Why in the world would he do that?  Seriously, why keep preaching Christ if preaching Christ gets you thrown in prison?  Because it was more important for Paul to obey Christ than to go to jail.  That is a different way of thinking…

To live as a follower of Christ, you must change your perspective.  You must retrain your mind to think not of “your” life, but the life that Christ has given you.  Don’t think about how things benefit you, but how they benefit the Kingdom of God.  And when troubles hit, you must intentionally consider how you can glorify Christ in the midst of your trial instead of falling into self-pity.  Not an easy thing…

Smart people call that a paradigm shift.  (While I am not a particularly smart person, I do have a thesaurus.)  A paradigm shift is a change in the way you view the world and your life. As your attitude changes, your actions will change…attitude determines action. 

You can find the importance of attitude all through the bible: God calls us not only to give, but to give cheerfully; He chastised Israel for following the outward actions of the faith without any internal adherence, and this little gem:

“All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.” – Proverbs 16:2

Why we do things is every bit as important as what we do.  Yes, God wants us to obey and to act as He has commanded, but He also expects us to do it with an attitude of love and thanksgiving.  It is very possible to do good things for ungodly reasons: selfishness, to make yourself look or feel good, or to impress others. I have a feeling many of the things we claim to do for God, we actually do for ourselves.

I read that paragraph and thinks, “Yikes! Whose motives are always pure?”  The answer to that is: nobody, except Jesus. The key is to strive for Godly motives. When we attempt to be obedient, the Holy Spirit comes alongside and empowers us to obey.  Here are a few tips to help you along the way:

1.      While we inhabit these earthly bodies, we will never be perfect – so quit holding yourself to that standard – it is an exercise in futility. 

2.      Pray that God will give you a Christ-like attitude and pure motives. While I believe that God leaves much of our mindset for us to wrestle with, He will empower and strengthen us to purify our motives.  God made the priests step into the flooded Jordan before He stopped the water (Josh. 3:15-16).  God often empowers as we obey, seldom before.

3.      Philippians 4:8 needs to be memorized and acted upon.  “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.” You are what you see, hear, and think about; make sure your mind is on the things of God.

4.      Persist.  Some days you will have a terrible attitude.  Ask God for forgiveness, refocus on Christ, and move on with your day.  Don’t let your failure cause you to give up.  Keep up the good fight!

5.      Relax.  After saying all that, don’t obsess over your motives.  Be aware of them, but don’t spend all your time questioning your motives.  Be the person God made you to be and trust that He is transforming your heart and mind as you serve.  No matter how long you stare in the mirror, you will never see yourself grow.  Stop focusing on yourself; focus on Jesus and those around you and your motives will be just fine.

We play a role in God’s story, not the other way around.  Every part of your life can be used for God’s Kingdom if you allow it.  You are in school for Christ.  You are at work for Christ.  You are in your apartment for Christ.  And believe it or not, you are in church for Christ. 

Wherever you are and whatever you do, you have the ability to be about the work of Christ…or not.  It is your decision.

“You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19b-20