Put it into Practice

Philippians 4:8&9 Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians there is an interesting call to action. “Put it into practice.” Often we are given catchy slogans in our secular world and in our spiritual life. Often they end up as the “flavor of the month” because that is about how long people remember to keep the slogan in their minds and hearts. And with the list of practices Paul provides there is a word of caution. And it comes down to this simple consideration. When you put these practices into play in your life, who is being glorified? Is it God, or is it you? Seriously, think about this. Who are you seeking to call attention to by what you say or do? Because if God is not the focal point then the true meaning is being missed in what you are doing.

Possibly the best example we have of the humble servant is found in the Bible in the case of John the Baptist. While John was going about doing the work of the Lord baptizing, he was quick to acknowledge his position is the greater scheme of things. John 1:29-31 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

We must remember,“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.”  And in doing so we also remember who is being made praiseworthy by what we do. Not us, but the Lord that we humbly serve. To God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit go all the glory in all that we do today and every day in our lives.

PRAYER: Almighty God, You are the reason for all that we do. We seek to honor You in all that we do. Help us with Your Holy Spirit to have the faith and the heart of a servant. Guide us to share Your love, as Your Son reached out to cure the sick, heal the lame, and feed the hungry. Let our words and actions be Your words and actions. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.