Daily Devotional – Inspirational Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 NET For many of us who were raised in strict holiness traditions, verse 8 ought to be a breath of fresh air. Contrary to what is often taught, implicitly if not explicitly, there is a place in the Christian life for taking into serious account the best of the world in which we live, even though it may not be (perish the thought!) overtly Christian. Or to put it another way, it is decidedly not Pauls view that only what is explicitly Christian (be it literature, art, music, movies or whatever) is worth seeing or hearing. Truth and beauty are where you find them. But at all times the gospel is the ultimate paradigm for what is true, noble or admirable. Or perhaps you have not noticed that many truly great movies find their greatness because they tell our story (redemption through self-sacrifice), probably without even knowing it. There is nothing else like verse 8 in all of Pauls letters. It reflects a world with which the Philippians were familiar before they had ever become followers of Christ and friends of Paul; for although some of these words are common stock in Jewish wisdom, they are especially the language of Hellenistic moralism. In effect Paul tells the Philippian believers to take into account the best of their Greco-Roman heritage, as long as it has moral excellence and is praiseworthy. The virtues listed are not exhaustive but representative, and they come to expressions in countless ways (note the repeated “whatever”). Thinking on such things is not an end in itself, but preparation for purposeful action of one to put in perspective the positive things in life and not see evil in everything.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 10:55:00 +0000
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