Eternal perspective

One of the more valuable emotions is the emotion of contentment and, surprisingly, it is one that is learned!

Jordan confirms, “It’s that emotional stability. Rather than being up and down, over here over there, bouncing off like a golf ball on a tile bathroom, it’s emotional stability that comes from that renewed mind. ‘Dependence on Christ as enough.’ It comes from depending on Him as your life. And that gives you some stability and that’s what it is!”

Paul pleads in Philippians 1:8, “For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.”

Jordan says, “That verse has always struck me that Paul would have to tell them that; he’d actually have to call God to record that he loved them! There’s something in Paul’s psyche that wasn’t naturally gregarious or expressing of that, I suppose. It isn’t personality bound. That’s the point.

“There’s some people that just want to hug your neck all the time and you just feel loved around them because they’re just always expressive and there’s others who are a little more reserved. With the guy who wants to pat you on the back and glad hand you all the time; that isn’t necessarily love. And the person’s who a little more reserved isn’t necessarily holding it back. That verse right there demonstrates that.

“If you want a title for Philippians you put down Phil. 3:14 and you’ve got it because the book is about pressing toward the mark. Pressing toward that identity that God has given us in Christ for the prize of the high-calling. What’s the prize? ‘Christ in you the hope of glory.’ Having His life be your life. So it’s a wonderful epistle dealing with that.

“When he comes to the end of all of the discussion, and he focuses on this issue of contentment, that’s the goal to which all of the things in Philippians are bringing you. An emotional stability; it’s that deep inner peace, that sense of the supernatural sufficiency of who you are in Christ.

“That’s where the book of Philippians is designed to bring you in the details of your life. It’s not just a bunch of doctrine--we’re talking about the life that I live. The attitudes that I have and the relationships and my marriage to my home, my grandchildren, my job, my recreation life . . . In all of my relationships in all of my emotions.

“It’s that stability to live in all of that with an understanding of my dependence of Him being my life. Being enough. Being the treasure. Being ,‘For to me to live is Christ,’ and to die is just to bring that into ultimate reality.

“The Philippians developed personal compassion. They put the needs of others above the wants of themselves. (Verse 14). They developed a generous spirit because when you begin to release the very thing that consumes you (money, in this case); when you let it go you develop the ability to give. That destroys the compulsion to get because it’s the opposite of it. That happens when you do what verses 17-18’s talking about—you develop an eternal perspective.

“You come to the place where you realize your spiritual and financial decisions are literally joined at the hip. And that EVERY decision you make about things, relationships and money and emotions—all of those decisions are really spiritual decisions that have an eternal impact and they can bring honor and praise to God or can destroy your testimony.

“You see, our treasure—the thing we invest our talents, time and money to—reveals and directs our heart. You remember Jesus said that: ‘Where a man’s treasure is there will his heart be also.’ Now that’s a principle anywhere in the Bible.

“I learned a secret about that years ago. If there was an area in my life that I noticed needed attention. Maybe it was a neglected area. I learned that if I would take that area of my life and just begin to focus some of my time and my treasure toward it—start spending some money toward it. Maybe it’s your wife. Whatever it is. You know what, your heart will follow. Because your treasure directs your heart. It’s that powerful a thing!

“We unconsciously tell God what standard of living we’re willing to live at. What standard of relationships we’re willing to have. What standard of emotional life we’re willing to put up with. What standard of money we’re willing to accept. And then we impose that on this verse 19.”