SHOULD CHRISTIANS OBSESS!

Philippians 4:8 (NIV 1984) … think about such things.

“Think” is from a word that means “to put together with one's mind, to count, to occupy oneself with reckonings or calculations,” and has its roots in the Greek word lógos, which means intelligence expressed in word. We are commanded here to reason or put thoughts together in the mind - to meditate - not the mystical emptying of the mind taught by Eastern religions or modern New Age philosophies, but an intentional directing of the mind to think pointedly about something. We are to hash the thoughts out; run them over and over in our minds; and look at various angles, meanings, implications, and applications. There is purposed focus here. There is time commitment here. There is a goal of gaining understanding here, all resulting in a growing transformation of our personality and our practices – changing who we are and what we do. This means we need to push away competing thoughts that do not add to the topic of our mental discourse. We are to take a particular topic, within the confines listed in the other part of this passage, and dig into its rich ground of nuggets and nuances. In this exercise, the Bible student is not trying to cover vast portions of the Bible in a short amount of time but rather trying to take a particular idea and stay on it until unlocking a greater understanding.

Beloved, there is a time to read the Bible through in a year. Christian people should have a broad knowledge of the scripture, widening their understanding of biblical stories and theological concepts, but there is also a time to hone in on the specifics, where we deepen our understanding of one or two ideas. The Psalmist knew this. He meditated (thought) on God’s laws, precepts, and works (Ps 1:2; 119:15). Many of us have the ability to take something in our minds and run it over and over, hashing out every possible nuance and possible outcome. Some call this obsession; worry and anxiety are its fruit. Yet obsession is not necessarily bad, depending on the topic on which we are obsessing. The remaining part of this passage helps us in this. If, like me, you have the natural gift of obsessing, ask the Lord to redirect that “gift” towards things that are holy and helpful rather than fearful and destructive. Scripture calls this mediation, trust and peace are its fruit.