“Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.”
“and if anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.”
Having appealed to the mature Christians at Philippi to structure their attitudes around God’s Word, Paul now challenged the contrary thinkers. If we let them, the contrary thinkers will hold us back from what God wants us to be. It may be our husband or wife. It might be our in-laws or team members in ministry. They do not want us to catch fire. They are afraid a spark might fall on them. They will call out the bucket brigade to douse us with water. They will do anything to cool us off spiritually.
The word “think” means to think subjectively. It simply means to hold an opinion. Here it means a contrary view. It is the opposite of “have this mind [attitude].” Many Christians are contrary in their thinking. They even hold contrary opinions to the Word of God. They are born inside out. They are on the negative side of every positive question and on the positive side of every negative question.
There is a point where Paul could not straighten out contrary thinkers. Some people will never accept human authority. He committed them to God. God will reveal to them the importance of maturing in attitude. There is a point where we have to let the contrary people in our lives go. If we have tried our best to correct the relationship, that is all we can do. There is only one way to go with the Christian life—forward.
God’s revelation is the Word of God. Eventually, God will straighten out the opposition if they align their thinking with the Word. The Word can do what no human can do.
PRINCIPLE:
There are two types of thinking, one negative and the other positive.
APPLICATION:
The Word of God can reorient our thinking toward a positive bearing towards people, even if they do not change. Paul said that he was pressing toward the goal of the upward call. His whole life revolved around his future meeting with the Lord Jesus. He was not going to let anything get him off track. We empower negative thinkers by allowing them to keep us from our goal.
Do you let other Christians get you off your goal? Do you stumble over other runners on the track of spirituality? When others try to deter you from your goal, do you get up off the track, brush off the cinders, and move on? Do you lie there angry because someone caused you to stumble? Do you have the attitude, “I do not care who may try to hinder me. I am getting back into the race. I am moving on.”
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [the heroes of faith listed in chapter 11], let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:1,2)
