Strengthened by Superior Attitudes
—The spiritual mind continued
We continue looking at Paul's theme, "We worship God in the Spirit, and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:3). In this study, we consider what attitudes strengthen the spiritually minded. The spiritually minded are...
1 They are Positive About the Past (Philippians 3:13-14)
Most people have much in their past to disappoint them. But God is both able and willing to blot out their sins and heal their hurts (Acts 3:19).
Therefore people must rid themselves of their guilt, and leave their pain behind. As Paul says, "Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal" (Philippians 3:13-14).
Most people can also remember times in the past when they were better persons than they are today. Christ's word in this case is, "Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first" (Revelation 2:5).
The tyranny of the past can be broken. The spiritually minded conquer past evils through Christ, and if we cling to the past let us cling only to what was good.
2 They are Positive About the Present (Philippians 4:11-13)
The phrase, "Content in whatever state I am" (Philippians 4:11) is not least among the slogans which Christians must adopt and live by.
The same is true of Paul's statements, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13) and "My God shall supply all your needs" (Philippians 4:19).
The present is where we can act. The spiritually minded take the "can do" attitude and live in God's providence and power.
3 They are Positive About the Future (Philippians 4:6-7)
The spiritually minded are "not anxious about anything" but through prayer with thanksgiving they lay up treasures for the future without fear.
I suppose the thing about the future likely to make all people anxious is death. Death is a problem for everyone because there's no way for anybody to avoid it. The rich and powerful die just like the lowly and weak.
Paul is positive about death because Christ solves the problem. "He will transform our lowly body into a gloripous body like his. He will use the power he has to subject all things to himself." (Philippians 3:21).
The future is bright with hope. The spiritually minded look forward to the future with blessed assurance of eternal life.