Aug 27, 2023
Phil 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,
whatever things are noble, whatever
things are just, whatever
things are pure, whatever
things are lovely, whatever
things are of good report, if there
is any virtue and if there is anything
praiseworthy—meditate on these things"
During my self-help days, I often heard "You are what you
think about all day long"
or as it says in proverbs 23:7 "For as he thinks in his heart,
so is he"
What should we think about, or focus on, in this life?
Our highest priority should be the unseen holy, set apart
things, namely God and the things of God. The word for holy spirit
or set apart in Hebrew is Kadosh
Col 3:2 says "Set your mind on things above, not on things on
the earth."
Joshua 1:8 says "This Book of the Law shall not
depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in
it day and night"
Psalm 119:97 "Oh, how I love Your
law!
It is my meditation all the day"
It is my meditation all the day"
I used to think that when the Bible talked about
meditating, or thinking, about His Word all day long,
it didn’t literally mean all day, but now I’m not so sure. I’m
finding the more I focus on God the more I’m truly living.
In the Torah it encourages us to think about His word
throughout our day
In Deut 6:6-9 says "And these words which I command you today
shall be in your heart. 7 You shall
teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when
you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down,
and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind
them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between
your eyes. 9 You shall
write them on the doorposts of your house and on your
gates."
Number 15:39-41says "And you shall have the tassel, that you may look
upon it and remember all the commandments of
the Lord and
do them, and that you may not follow the
harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are
inclined, 40 and that you
may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your
God. 41 I am the Lord your
God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God:
I am the Lord your God.”
Lesser in value than the set apart kadosh things that are
unseen but still having great value are those things that are seen
but also set apart. What we experience with our 5 senses. You could
say our natural reality.
Traditions in Judaism include saying prayers the moment you
wake, when you walk to the bathroom, etc
By doing so we are making our natural world set apart or
kadosh, not totally of course, since we are in a fallen
world.
Gnosticism was a set of beliefs focused on knowledge and
considered things natural to be avoided.
I believe by coming to earth and taking on flesh, in addition
to the important work of providing the necessary sinless sacrifice,
Jesus also demonstrated the importance of us living in our natural
reality.
Also God wanted the tabernacle and then the temple to be made
by human hands, and for us to it holy, even though they were types
of the temple in the unseen realm.
There a number of Songs with the theme “this is not my home”
or "this world is not my home" which capture this idea. I've also
heard of the hotel analogy. Our life here is like staying in
a hotel room but our true home will come after our death.
That hotel room still has a purpose for us and is to be used
and appreciated.
If you want to go deeper on the concept of the unseen realm
check out the book "The unseen realm" by Michael Heiser who died
last last year. Also the Naked Truth podcast.
So what are lesser thoughts or things we should avoid focusing
on?
Things of this world that do not honor God, that Satan has
twisted and perverted. This can include things we might consider
wholesome and good and G rated, but if focus on them too much,
relying on them or making an idol of them, they become unholy and
forbidden.
There is another category of things to avoid, in my opinion
even worse than the things of this world.
Those are the unseen things that are not holy, set apart, that
do not glorify God.
This of course includes overtly evil practices like
witchcraft, divination, going to a palm reader, playing with a
ouige board, but it also includes things that most
believers dont' think are a big deal but are also wicked
and to avoided strongly. I’m talking about using your imagination
to take you to a place that does not glorify God. This can include
pornography as well as imagining images and activities that do not
glorify God.
Jesus raised the bar when it came to what is considered sin
when he said that looking with lust and hating someone was the same
as committing adultery and murdering someone.
God cares about what we do but He seems to really care about
what we think about or more specifically what is in our
heart.
1 Samuel 16:7 says "For the Lord does not see as
man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but
the Lord looks at
the heart.”
If you have taken solace with your hands being clean but your
mind being dirty, you are at risk of being hypocrites like the
scribes and Pharisees who in Matt 23:27 Jesus said were
"like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear
beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of
dead men’s bones and all uncleanness."
The line can blur between the seen and unseen both with things
that are holy and things that are unholy.
Just take this one verse as an example
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy
and all slander.
1Pet.2.1ESV
In that one sentence is a mixture of unholy things that are
tangible actions as well as our thoughts.
I used to freak out over this idea of controlling my thoughts,
thinking I could not control them. I now know enough about God to
know He would not ask me to do something I could not do, and in His
love gives me the Holy Spirit to help me.
2 Cor 10:5 says "casting down arguments and every high thing
that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every
thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,"
1 Cor 10:13 says "No temptation has overtaken you except such
as is common to man;
but God is faithful, who will not
allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able
to bear it"
John 14:16 Jesus says "And I will pray the
Father, and He will give you
another Helper, that He may abide
with you forever"
Martin Luther said, “You cannot keep birds from flying over
your head but you can keep them from building a nest in your
hair.”
I think of my thoughts as I do all of the commandments, they
are ways for me to show my love for my heavenly Father, not a bunch
of don’t’s I have to avoid out of fear.
On the other side of obedience is a closer relationship with
my Crestor and a life of joy and shalom.
So to summarize, two things to focus on are both holy, one is
unseen and perfectly holy, the other is seen and a type or
foreshadow of holiness, or you could say a little slice of
heaven.
This is similar to the two commandments which is a summary of
the law and prophets, to love God (unseen) and to love our neighbor
as ourselves (seen). Note the second one has two parts to love our
neighbor and ourselves.
The two things to avoid, or to put more strongly to rebuke,
hate and reject, are the unholy things, both seen and unseen.
Another verse which captures this is Rom 12:2 "And do not
be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that you may prove
what is that good and acceptable and perfect
will of God."
This is part of our human existence and Gods plan for us, at
least as I’m beginning to understand and appreciate though will
never fully comprehend since His ways are greater than my
ways
if you're looking for an application for your work, remember
that you spend so much of your waking hours at your job, if you're
going to focus on holy things all the day, you have to do so at
work. Your work is a great example of where the unseen and
seen come together in a beautiful way.