As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

Steve Brown:
As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Let’s talk about it, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
God’s grace changes everything, how we love, work, live, lead, marry, parent, evangelize, purchase, and worship. This is Key Life, with practical Bible teaching to get you home with radical freedom, infectious joy, and surprising faithfulness.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. We’re looking at a text and it’s a very familiar text to most of us. Philippians 3:12 through 14. At the end of that text, this is what Paul says.

One thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

And yesterday we spent some time on a side road and that is the single mindedness of the apostle Paul, Philippians 3:13b.

But one thing I do.

He didn’t say I do a few things, he said.

One thing I do.

One of the ancient cultures had a god whose only desire was to eat. He was big, he had an elastic stomach, and two rows of teeth so he could better chew. It is said that he one time killed 600 people because they were in his way when he was on his way to dinner. I’ll tell you something, he got enough to eat. You can get almost anything you want if you become single minded about it. And conversely, you can get almost nothing if you are multiple minded about everything. How single minded are you about your kids, your marriage, your profession, your friendship, your relationship with Christ? And more important, how single minded are you about walking with God? There’s an old story about a young man that went to Socrates, said he was looking for truth. Socrates said, son, come with me. And they walked down to a river nearby and walked out into the water. And to the young man’s surprise, Socrates grabbed him by the hair and pushed him under the water and held him there. And he was struggling and Socrates wouldn’t let him, he was drowning. He thought he was going to die. And finally, just before he did, Socrates pulled him out of the water and said.

Son, when you want truth as much as you just then wanted air, then you shall have it,

Jim Elliott, and his son in-law is an acquaintance of mine, whom I love. Jim Elliott said this.

God, I pray thee, light these idle sticks of my life, that I may burn for thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is thine. I see not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus.

What he saw was prophetic. And as you know, he died for his faith and God has used that story in millions of lives. Wurmbrand tortured for Christ, by Romanian guards said this.

As they allowed no place for Jesus in their hearts, I decided I would leave not the smallest place for Satan in mind.

The Bible says.

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

In other words, what you propose is probably what will happen. What you really want will happen. Where is your passion? And I’ll tell you, the apostle Paul got the right one.

This one thing I do.

I have a friend, and if I could remember who told me this, I’d tell you. He said, he made a comment, he said.

You know, it’s hard right now, but I have the past to look forward to.

That’s profound, let me tell you something, because God has promised Christians will have a lot to look forward to by way of looking back at the past.

Eye have not seen, nor ear heard, nor mind of man conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.

The Bible is, by the way, for the most part, future oriented. Jesus said.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for

they see God, no

they shall see God. Blessed are the merciful, for

they are receiving mercy, no

for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the meek, because

they inherited the earth, no

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.

Jesus said.

In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would’ve told you.

And so, this text that we’re studying is a particular text that deals with the in between times. We’re born, we live this life, we come to Christ and we look forward to heaven. But what do you do in the meantime? I Corinthians 7 gives us gracious promises concerning our children. Often parents will come to me and talk about a wayward son or a daughter. And I take them to I Corinthians. And I say, look, sometimes God is going to do his thing, but between right now and then there’s going to be a lot of hassles. So, be patient and watch for the rest of the story. That’s what being a Christian is. It’s being patient and watching for the rest of the story. But what do you do in the between times? Well, first, Paul, please note in the between times, Paul has a realistic evaluation of himself, Philippians 3:12a.

Not that I have already attained this or have already been made perfect.

He knew. He said.

It is a saying worth full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the chief of sinners.

Philippians 3:13a

Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it.

In 1973, a man was arrested in Argentina. He had high expectations, but he wasn’t very smart. The news report said he had tried to hijack a bus to Cuba. We’re like that sometimes. We’re ambitious beyond our capability. Our buses don’t float either, but I love the way that a friend of mine welcomed new visitors to his church. He said this.

We’re glad you’re here. This is the local chapter of Sinners Anonymous.

Let me tell you a story, and I may have told you this before. I was working in radio when I was in college. And Roger Williams, who was then maybe the most famous pianist in the country, was giving a concert, and they didn’t have anybody at the radio station to interview him. And so, the program director said, Steve, do the best you can, take a tape recorder and talk to Roger Williams. I got to this big auditorium, and he was sitting at a piano, and the auditorium was empty, and he was playing scales, and I walked very hesitantly up to the stage. And I said, Mr. Williams, my name is Steve, and I’m here to interview you. And I’ve never done this before. The only reason I’m here is that I was the only one at the radio station and they had to send somebody. And he started laughing, and he said, son, come up here. And I walked up on the stage, and he pulled up a chair by his piano, and he said. Now, I’m going to give you the first question, and you ask that question. And listen to how I answer it, and it will lead to another question. So, that’s what we did. I turned on the recorder, he gave me the first question, I asked it. And in his comments, in answering the question, he gave me the next question, and the next question, and the next question. When I got back to the radio station, I got a raise because the program director said, Steve, you have a gift, you’re wonderful. I didn’t tell him what had happened, but I remember Roger Williams. He was the son of a pastor, an amazing pianist. But I remember his humanness, his willingness to get down and recognize a scared kid who didn’t know what he was doing. I see some of that in the apostle Paul. He’s a gigantic figure of the faith. And he said, but I haven’t attained it. I’m not there. I’m human. I’m sinful. I’m like you. And so, in the between times, it’s a good thing to not have delusions of grandeur, but to let God define you. And then to tell you, I love you, anyway. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
And thank you, Steve Brown. We’ll continue our journey of joy through Philippians soon, but guess what? Next week we have Pastor Jerry Parries joining us again. Man, talk about joy, that guy has got it. Do join us for that. And tomorrow we’ll have Pete here with us for Friday Q&A. One of the topics they’ll tackle, divorce. That is a big one, so don’t miss it. So, the rumors are true. The 2025 print edition of the Key Life magazine is now available. Articles in this issue touch on perverting the gospel, the downside and upside of distractions, finding hope, and our tendency to wander. This issue is part of our year long celebration of Key Life’s 40th anniversary. Yes, 40, can you believe it? To claim your free copy of the new Key Life magazine, call us right now at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] for that magazine. Or to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses. Again, just ask for your free copy of Key Life magazine. And finally, if you’re blessed by the work of Key Life, would you help share that blessing with others through your financial support? Just charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or simply pick up your phone and text Key Life to 28950 and follow the instructions. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And Key Life is a listener supported production of Key Life Network.