Good to Great in God's Eyes - Think Great Thoughts, Part 1

You know it's true, we are what we eat both in our bodies and in our minds what ever you feed your mind and your soul will determine your personal spiritual health.

If you want to experience real spiritual vitality then you need a new diet and I've got diet plan.

It's not about food and you are going to let stay with welcome to this edition of living over you Chip Ingram the mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christians the Bible to have you ever wondered why take my faith to the next level or what can I do to break out of the ordinary?

Today we begin chips popular serious good to great in God's eyes. To answer those critical questions over the next several programs you can learn some specific practices that have the potential to change your life, not just for the better. Absolute best or that said, if you have a Bible heavy turnout of Philippians chapter 4. Let's join Chip as he kicks off this series with his message.

Think great thoughts got a little word association game I like to play with you very briefly tell me what these words have in common. Applicants South Beach low-carb high carb, high protein, Jenny Craig weight watchers are we there its diets right is what you put your body. You know, if someone said you are and we are what we and we know it is true physically anyway is absolutely scientifically proven. If you want to change your cholesterol you change your diet if you want to change your body if you want to lose weight. I mean if you want your heart, your body etc. etc. etc. to change you have to change and I have to change what I put my mouth but often what we forget.

It is just as true psychologically as it is physically University of Tennessee did a 12 year study trying to measure in some way. The impact of what people put into their minds, they had control group in a non-control group listen to a five minute daily radio program. Every day, and then they tested him. The results were if there were four negative items in the five minute radio program.

The listeners were one more depressed to believe the world was a negative place to live. Three were less likely to help others and four began to believe that what they heard would actually happen to them. Empirical research five minutes five minutes of listening to four negative things impacted them that much. Imagine what in the average home 6 to 7 hours a day of TV is doing to the average person in America you are what you eat. I am what I eat.

It is true physically. It is true. Psychologically, the Scripture says what Proverbs 23 as a man thinks are the woman thinks in her heart so is he.

In fact, Ralph Waldo Emerson even gets in. He says life consists of what a man is thinking about all day your life consists merely of what you're thinking about all day but it's also true spiritually, and Romans eight, you might jot this down verses 5 to 8 when you have some time or were looking at talks about this deliverance, we have the spirit being in us.

The law in the spirit of life. The law spirit of death and then after talking about having been delivered by what God is done, it says for the mind set on the flesh is death, the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace for the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God and it is not able even to please God, I'm going to become physically what I put in my body. I'm going to become psychologically and spiritually. What I put into my mind. I'd suggest that the most important decision you make in the most important decision your children make and your grandchildren make every single day.

Is this what they allow to go into their mind because you'll notice there's a little graphic on the bottom of your notes and and the idea is wrong thinking leads to negative emotions that leads to unwise behavior that leads to devastating consequences.

Often what happens in our lives when want to change week. We usually start at the wrong place. We often start with the behavior I'm eating too much. I'm eating too much. I want to stop eating. I wish I was. I'm drinking too much. I'm not doing enough of this and we start with the behavior and we go through cycles.

We can't figure out some people get a little smarter.

They start with the emotions like why my feeling this way, I noticed that I eat when I feel this way I know is I have these outbursts of anger when I feel this what that still not starting far back enough.

You have to start it all begins with your thinking wrong thinking produces negative emotions, negative emotions will produce behavior that is unwise in a pattern of unwise behavior was a Scripture say if you so to the flesh, you reap corruption, a man or woman. Don't be to see my beloved brother and you going to reap I'm going to reap what I so by contrast, right thinking produces positive emotions, positive emotions produce wise behavior and wise behavior sewing over time produce fruitful consequences.

We are a product of our thought life and the point I want to make is change. All change all lasting change begins with how you think in the Scripture is filled with I give you. Romans 85 to 8 study sometimes. Ephesians 422 to 24 take off the old have your mind renewed put on.

I mean, it's everywhere. Colossians 3. Set your mind on the things that are above, none of the things that are set your mind work your life is hidden with Christ over and over and over and over just get out your concordance and look up the word mind or look up the word metamorphosis or transformational change and just watch how it is peppered all through Scripture change begins with your thinking and that's why the second practice to go from good to great in God's eyes, is to think great thoughts. We are a product of our thinking, our emotions flow from our thoughts and what we allowed to enter our mind is the most important decision we make every day. That's the net net that's the summary now notice since were a product of our thought life. God commands us. I didn't just make this up, I think he commands us to think great thoughts and stable where you get that will follow along. Let's look together at Philippians chapter 4.

Look at verse eight finally, brethren verse six. Don't be anxious for anything verse seven how God's gonna work as you learn to pray, give thanks and peace of God.

Verse eight he says finally, brethren, whatever is true, that means objectively true conforms to reality, whatever is honorable that has the idea of that which is worthy of respect or dignity, whatever is right, has the idea of justice or or righteousness, whatever is pure, at the idea of moral purity of free from defilement, whatever is lovely, that has the idea of something that is as winsome and attractive and beautiful or whatever is good and the idea here is admirable of good report worthy of passing on to another, and whatever is of any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise dwell on these things. A great little biblical exercise is to go through and circle all of those words and just do a little mini Bible study on what they mean and and then they can become a little grid for what what I allowed to come into my mind, whatever is true, whatever is lovely, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is good repute, and then Paul kinda thinks you know in case I left something out if there is any excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, notice what he says dwell on these things. That's the first command. The notice, the second command is the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me than what he do those are all those are all receptive type words are. They learned received heard seen take all this data. Practice these things and with the promise the God of peace will be with you. You see, when were anxious really know anxiety is anxiety, just dwelling on something. Anxiety is negative meditation mean some people say what and how to meditate on Scripture well just try worrying in verse it works right. I mean, anxiety is what was to happen. I don't know what economy is going kind of self little bit. I gotta get some money for the way over here and if that doesn't come through that I might have come out of retirement or you had planned to do this and what happened but when my grandchildren if that happens, and I can meet one of his kids when those colleges and I would have enough money I would have enough money. I want my kids with five kids and I think I'm hyperventilating you know what you do.

We take one little thing and we dwell on it and we pull it apart and then we factor out all the possible negative things that could happen. What happens to your motions, tightening of the chest start to get depressed little panic attack depression. See you are product and I'm a product of my thinking and when my thinking begins to go south. My emotions begin to really go in a bad direction and I like to tell you I'm real you know real objective and I make all my decisions you know just based on good thinking and objective criteria, and is for you.

Most of us make our decisions in an emotional state, and we are swayed by how were feeling and what we do what the apostle Paul is saying is it in the area of anxiety come to God and learn to offer it recognize what's happening uses three or four different words for prayer.

He says come in general gives Thanksgiving take the specific issue get it before the Lord and the promises that the God of peace will be with you the peace of God will reign in your hearts, and then he says now let's let's get rid of that is a lifestyle. Finally, brethren, what I need you to do is I'm to go back beyond the emotions beyond anxiety, beyond the behavior, to go back to your thinks it thinking. So finally, brethren, gives us six or seven things and then scrapes the Milky Way basically think godly, pure, righteous, honorable, winsome, lovely God honoring thoughts and the promise is what the God of peace will be with you the word dwell there. The command is to dwell write that word and where you stood dwell. I actually put the word in Greek it's low get some I means to consider the word dwell to think on to reckon to deduce to reason, to calculate the ponder.

To dwell means to deliberate upon through protracted analysis and thought when he says purity, honorable justice, righteousness, lovely beauty. He says I want you to get your mind focused in and with a protracted, energetic, intentional ability. Think on these things. Meditate on these things analyze these things. It's not casual thinking is not passive thinking it's intentionally focus protracted thought on what is right, pure, good, lovely and righteous. Colin Brown's dictionary of the New Testament of this word says it's not an unemotional or philosophical and un-philosophical word that that this is not just like at an accountant going through.

But, by contrast, it's the very process of reasoning and deduction that separates good and evil so it's thinking on what is right and pondering what's right and thinking the implications and like looking at situations and looking what's true and then analyzing in such a way and say I wonder how that would play out in this relationship.

I wonder how that plays out how God looks at me. I wonder if that over time, it's an analytical dwelling on truth on God for who he is on you for who you are on other people for who they are looking at the future.

The past circumstances through the lens of truth of God's word in its powerful powerful powerful mean, there's a reason why people paid member.

What was for what 30 seconds of the Super Bowl.

How many millions, billions dollars for what $2.5 million for 30 seconds I believe was the cost, why would anyone pay that much money People's attentions for 30 seconds. I'll tell you what is latte, what, whatever they see whatever they hear. Whatever you put in their mind. That's what they go out by is to influence you what what why do companies spend billions in advertisement the drug companies.

Recently I read a statistic. The number of billions in advertisement. Why is when something hurts and it's not working. I want to say hey Doc, you know you seen that commercial you know what about this. You think that would help me because it influenced were product of our thought life. Let me show you how powerful this is. This is not a made up story.

You know sometimes you have one of those illustrations that is so over the top. You just think you know what this guy. He just he makes these up fella's name is George back. I'll give you his full name because if he ever hears this because he's heard it once you're just encouraging George December, I was involved in campus ministry young Christian. I'm now couple years old, the Lord and his campus goes from three or four. Five kids now got about 4050 6070 kids and were beaten this guy's basement and were starting to grow and and you know I I'm really a believer and walk with God. But I'm also the basketball team and and some of the believers were really love God but were very uncool economy. They didn't dress cool.

They didn't talk cool some of the girls were not the prettiest girls on campus but over here on the basketball team. They were cool guys. You know we had that we had the big hats and platforms at the full-length leather coat walking in and you know it was sent and do you know you know it will cool and when I went on Thursday night. The Bible study. I love being around this group, but when I went on road trips has with the basketball team. I had been cool, but I had this bad situation where I would be with the basketball team in the cafeteria and somewhat.

I'm supposed to love and enjoy you be a good friend to be a Christian like a treat on Thursday night would come up to me and George would come up to me and George had little to the list and George on about you and you know God bless those who have hair. God bless those who do not have hair. But when you're like 19 and have no hair is not really good in college and George had already like three strands in a going over to left and and he came from a Slavic background came over from this country grew up in a new hard-core New York City in a neighborhood. His childhood basically was getting up walking to school get beat up on the way coming home get beat up on the way home.

The guy had a self image that was about that big more negative had a little bit of the list had zero confidence how they were made in the college I'll never know it's you I'm going to say you've ever done this because your spiritual and you love everybody all the time. You can identify with this, but just maybe on a bad day. Once, and I mean it was like you not at all had good George is a minute really gotta go right. This guy is socially, mentally, spiritually, I mean you know those extra grace required people you know those people that you they see you see them coming and there's another stairway you use it. This is one of those where you pretend not to see them. You know I contact you say the person was cyclical really talk right now because I do not want to put that guy is that kinda guy, but there's a guy named Jerry on our campus little bit older, came to help out and and that Jerry saw something in George and Jerry allowed him to get involved in a investigative Bible study. George wasn't Christian and little by little. George got interested, he began to investigate the Scriptures and for him. He ready for thought, what a thought that someone would love him. What a thought that he mattered to someone not just someone but God what what an amazing thought that he had value not because of what he looked like on the outside, not because of what he had done or hadn't done or what he accomplished or how well in school. But just because he was George he was valued and loved and important in this message of the grace of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Finally gave birth to the new life and George and I saw George at the end of the school year and I headed off and he headed often. We came back and I met George about for five months later, and without exception. I mean, he was like very different and he was like cogent in his thinking and some of the wackiness was sorta gone and I was trying to figure out what was going on he went somewhere with Jerry and I cannot tell you all the details but he went to some seminar or some conference were someone was teaching about Scripture memory and use it like what ballistic and so by about Christmas time.

I happen to be talking to George and he had the 3 x 5 cards about the stick in his pocket.

George had the book of James memorize, George had the book of John, memorized George had the book of Colossians memorize. George was finishing up the book of Matthew. It was like George what you doing and it was literally in others. Extreme makeover shows. I mean it was like into. I mean it was like is this the same guy and you talk with them and I could make a long story. It would really be fun because it is so amazing, but all I can tell you is George ended up on the floor with all the fraternity guys and he was one of those kinda nerdy type guys that everyone would like to make fun of George's life changed so much and George had such wisdom and God changed him as he continued to memorize a Scripture that soon the fraternity guys, I mean the super cool dudes guys going out and doing all the stuff they were lining up at his door because George had this sense of what God was doing and he was counseling them about the girlfriends and counseling about issues when you're growing your parents break up, and pretty soon, and this is gospel truth about another six or eight months. I remember talking with George, and I was not only not embarrassed was like Georgie you think like you and I could get little time for me, Cano paying paying time unique to chip you know and and I would go and I meet with George and I were just asking questions and it was like I have never in my life ever seen a transformation in about a 9 to 18 month period of time that revolutionized man's life and he was so can I say this beautiful. He was so beautiful on the inside. I no longer saw the features and I no longer saw the loss of hair and and and the little accent became almost sort of attractive and wrong instead of a repellent George Sandra's life he big he became one of the key print people in this entire ministry and he became someone that we wanted to be around because he renewed his mind at a level like no one I've ever met. I was teaching that illustration with another passage about three years ago and I got email hi my name is that it did to is under my husband's name is George and you can't be that same shipping room from West Liberty State College. Can you because George was saying that he was involved in a college ministry with some Chip Ingram, but you're on the radio and well my husband's a pastor now and you know what I just I can't even type dear on the same Chip Ingram and you gotta know I had no idea what happened. George after graduation.

Your husband has inspired me to walk with God. Memorize Scripture. It takes seriously what I put in my mind like no other human being I've ever met. Here's what I want to tell you your life can change all that baggage all the struggles, all those thoughts. You are a product of your thought life. Wherever you are. Today is a product of how you have been thinking here's the deal were ever you're going to be next week, next month, next year next decade is going to be about how you start thinking right now just a minute's application been listening to the first part of his message. Think great thoughts series, good to great in God's eyes. Are you tired of living the status quo Christian life. Are you looking to get a fresh infusion of faith and spiritual passion will join Chip in this 10 part series as he shares 10 specific practices. Every great Christian has in common and how you can put these attitudes and routines into action. If you're ready for a genuine spiritual breakthrough. Don't miss a single message. For more information about the serious oral resources go to LivingontheEdge.org Chip Ingram up or call us at AAA 333-6003 chips. Join me in studio now and Chip were just getting started in your series.

Good to great in God's eyes, a take a minute if you would ensure one of the 10 practices you're going to be highlighting in the coming programs are so applicable to all of us will David develop the series a number of years ago in the world is become more and more volatile, and I think people were trying very hard. And Christians are under real pressure to live the life and theology is so important in truth is so important and listening to podcasts and we've got all kind of resources. But this series is about how do you live out your faith like Monday through Saturday. What you do on Monday morning. The Bible is very clear that it's impossible to live the Christian life limiting me restate that it's not hard it's impossible to live the Christian life is a lie for the Holy Spirit manifest or grows the life of Christ within us and that plays out into every relationship in our work and our attitudes are struggles with temptation, but the way that happens is we get positioned for God's grace in our life and this is about the 10 practices that great Christians have in common. As you study the Bible as you study world history in church history in my own life as I've met great Christians really transformed the world or in small and big ways.

What you find is these practices are ones that they have in common. What I wanted to do was be very very practical and say yes we know the truth. It's all by grace, how then does that grace become a part of your life.

Little by little, month by month, year by year, and of all the things I've ever written.

This is my go to resource when I'm going to meet one-on-one with a small group of people because were really good to talk about how to become more and more like Jesus. How do you stay mission know how do you actually live a life that brings great joy to you great honor to God and actually changes the world around you because I think that's what being a great Christians all about fixture. Well I hope you make the time to be with us for this entire series and let me also encourage you to get your hands on ships book good to great in God's eyes. Whether it's for you personally or for mentoring others. This tool will help all of us live a more purposeful faith to order your copy of good to great in God's eyes.

Visit LivingontheEdge.org or give us a call at AAA 333-6003 will chip you ended your message today with a great story about a man named George to Sandra. You met many years ago. Have you heard anything about him since yesterday. Matter fact, George's wife called me and she said you know you ever wonder whatever happened to George and I said absolutely.

Well, you know that transformation in his life that you saw that was so amazing. While it's continued and George is now a pastor and I got to see George and I mean it was just like so amazing and I guess what I want people to hear as we start the series. Obviously there listening and thinking let's see. Good to great in God's eyes.

Good to great. Isn't that like the Jim Collins book.

And yes, of course, that's where I got the idea, but this whole series is not about what businesses do to go from good to great. This entire series is about what practically Christians do, and I wish people could see. You know like the before and after of George. I mean, God changes people.

Most people don't know how change happens most people try hard.

Most people go to programs. Most people are desperate. Most people just have all kind of struggles and we are going to teach people the practice is what you actually do for change to occur in this first one is the most fundamental thinking great thoughts is the core.

I mean we are the product of our thinking as we shared at the very beginning the program. You are what you eat and people are what they eat mentally and working to get people very practical ways to put great things in their mind and little by little. Over time, there's no quick fixes here but little by little.

Over time, we are to help people experience dynamic change as they stop putting some things in their mind start putting truth in their mind. I just want to challenge everyone go on the journey with us great worship as we close. If you're looking for a way to get more out of the teaching. Let me encourage you to download our message notes. This helpful tools available for every program.

These notes include a clear outline all of the Scripture references. Lots of fillings to help you remember what you're learning you can get them@livingontheedge.org under the broadcasts tab Listeners just tap fill in notes will until next time, this is Dave really saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge