1Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. 2Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.
3For I say through the grace that was given me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith. 4For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don’t have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another, 6having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us: if prophecy, let’s prophesy according to the proportion of our faith; 7or service, let’s give ourselves to service; or he who teaches, to his teaching; 8or he who exhorts, to his exhorting; he who gives, let him do it with generosity; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
9Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good. 10In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor prefer one another, 11not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, 12rejoicing in hope, enduring in troubles, continuing steadfastly in prayer, 13contributing to the needs of the saints, and given to hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. 16Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits. 17Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men. 18If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. 19Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
The Path To Peace
Candlelight Glowing in the Evening
Many years ago, when I was preaching through Philippians, I did a Google Search entitled “you are what you think”. It came back with 4.45 billion hits! That is more results than anything I’ve ever searched for on Google. Throughout recorded history, mankind has observed that the condition of a person’s life is in significant part governed by what is going on in his or her mind. This isn’t just a secular idea; it is a spiritual truth. There is a battle for your mind. Paul isn’t exactly telling us that we are WHAT we think, but he’s telling us that we are AS we think.
Did you know that the Bible suggests our thought lives largely determine the quality of our Christian lives? We read Paul urging us to have minds that are not conformed to the world, but instead are transformed by the renewing process of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 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.” (Romans 12:1-2)
Here is the big question: What are you thinking about? Upon what do you meditate? Paul says the only way to get to where we’re supposed to be is to GO POSITIVE. Many years ago, a man named Norman Vincent Peale wrote a book called The Power of Positive Thinking. That thought is not original. That is close to what the Bible teaches. It is not our positive thinking that brings us power. It is the Holy Spirit who begins to do a work in our hearts when we crawl out from under our circumstances, believing God for a solution. And what is our part? “Whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, 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 worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8b WEB). That’s how we need to be thinking! Put this into practice in your life. Ask the Lord today to redirect your thoughts whenever you even drift over into the negative. Use this checklist as the filter for what you see, hear, speak, and do. And Paul adds that if you do these things, the God of PEACE will be with you. We could all use a lot more peace, and Paul gives us the path to that peace right here in these verses. The choice is yours. Do the things that you have learned, received, and heard in these verses of ancient wisdom.