APPROVE AND PRIZE ROSS SMITH
ALL REFERENCES FROM THE AMPLIFIED VERSION UNLESS NOTED
Philippians 1:10 So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value [recognising the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences],
We have recently explored the first requirement of Philippians 1:10, where Paul is provoking the pursuit of “Excellence“, and we proceeded to establish the first step, for if we haven’t learned to “sense what is vital“, then we will have great difficulty in what follows, our “APPROVAL and PRIZING” of those things “EXCELLENT AND OF REAL VALUE.“
I would respectfully suggest that the negligence evidenced by the church in ages past to stimulate and provoke our “Learning to sense what is vital” has seriously diminished our capacity to firstly “APPROVE” what is excellent and of real value, let alone “PRIZE” such assets, and as a consequence, the fallout is, we are unable to “recognise the highest and the best, and distinguish the moral differences.”
The “SO THAT” as the introduction to this Scripture is followed halfway through by an “AND THAT“, which introduces the critical importance of the “SO THAT” if we have any ambition to align with the plumbline of the “AND THAT.”
The ultimate outcome of this verse is “(so) you may approach] the day of Christ [not stumbling nor causing others to stumble. (A double responsibility)
Do we recall what precedes the “SO THAT“? It was that “YOUR LOVE — Abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight.
And so, one might reasonably ask the question, since it is now several weeks since we looked at the subject of “Learn to sense what is vital“, how much have we “LEARNED“, and how much more acute is our “SENSING WHAT IS VITAL” and how much have we abounded in newly developed “KNOWLEDGE and ALL KEEN INSIGHT?”
The “Extended development” of our “LEARNING and SENSING“, which is our love founded in knowledge and keen insight, will now be showing up in the calibre of our studies, where all the “unnecessaries“, the padding and anecdotes of marginal relevance have been expunged, and where each Scripture we employ will not just be cited but critically analysed to reinforce our subject, and to be constructive because of the intensified “KEEN INSIGHT.” This challenge is not a one-off but is couched in the present continuous tense.
Secondly, it should be a part of our nature to “pay attention to detail” so that every incident and event afforded our participation will undergo intense scrutiny to see that we have covered all bases so, like Joshua, we “leave nothing undone.”(Josh 11:15) so that we place consequence on or approve and prize the “priority”, not muddle in the mundane, but we sense the vital. It takes effort and practice.
Because our concepts are still corrupted, we comfort ourselves in the fact that we conscientiously adhere to the things that are legal but then fail to check if they are expedient or, as the apostle nominates, “EXCELLENT and of REAL VALUE.”
Although we are acutely familiar with this verse, our “approving and prizing” competencies come under intense scrutiny, designed to enhance our pursuit of demonstrated “EXCELLENCE.”
1 Corinthians 10:23 All things are legitimate [permissible–and we are free to do anything we please], but not all things are helpful (expedient, profitable, and wholesome). All things are legitimate, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life].
Twice in this Scripture, Paul said, “All things are legitimate“, and so before we go rushing off to engage in all our preferences and appetites of the natural man, carefully complying with being “LEGAL“, and both preferences and appetites are equally as destructive because the “liberty” purchased for us at Calvary did not include an unrestricted “license.”
Because the government has “legalised” sex workers as a legitimate business, it does not fall under the “free to do anything we please” as nominated in the Scripture. I hear you say, “Well, that’s hard to decide, not!” However, “attention to detail” requires we apply the litmus tests where the above Scripture is reinforced by the apostle Paul; the hardest decision is whether it is helpful, expedient, profitable, and wholesome.
This same sentiment is expressed in 1 Corinthians 6:12 by Paul, adding, “But not all things are helpful, good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things.” A worthwhile exercise is to explore the “Law of unintended consequences” to enhance our carefulness.
So, the ability to “APPROVE” requires more than understanding the law and what society and our neighbours regard as “GOOD“; we are provided with an “APPROVAL” checklist to apply in all cases. To memorise the list is valuable.
As we saw previously, if we have not “surely learned to sense what is vital,” then we are going to have great difficulty in identifying those things which will please God’s heart and will detour by approving “the life of the flesh, catering to the appetites and impulses of our carnal nature“, (Galatians 8:8)
Paul asserts that we need to develop this skill to “APPROVE and prize“, and unless we can appreciate the value of the prize, we will give little attention to approving.
To “APPROVE” something, there has to be a certain degree of competence to make the assessment. Fortunately, we have the resources of God’s Word, clearly defining the criteria. We have been left in no doubt that Father has strung His plumbline in the midst of this fellowship and continues to vigorously disquiet the laissez-faire exhibition, the idea that people should be free to choose how to do things without too much control from someone in authority, in this case, our conformity to the Word of God “in its entirety.” (1 John 2:5)
Matthew says that the “PRIZE” is the “kingdom of heaven”, and he describes it as “a precious prize – a share in the heavenly kingdom that is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion.” (Matthew 11:12). So the confronting question is, is my seeking as intense and passionate as demanded, and if not am I oblivious to the “Excellent and of Real Value” of the kingdom of heaven described as a “PRECIOUS PRIZE.”
This sounds to me like the effort required for “EXCELLENCE“, where our first and foremost priority is to “Seek first the kingdom of God” and to “do it with all our might.” This does not leave much room for the “unnecessaries” that crowd out the “VITALS.”
How do I reach that conclusion? Paul has gone on to say we are to “approve and prize what is “EXCELLENT and of REAL VALUE.” When you subconsciously contend with this demand, thinking that too much is being asked of us in our pursuit of “CONFORMITY“, then it may cost you the opportunity to debate it with Scripture’s most ardent proponent of this cherished characteristic, Paul himself.
REAL VALUE
We do not need to explore too far afield to determine what is “REAL VALUE“, for we are reminded that even if we were to gain the world at the expense of life in the kingdom (Mark 8:36), then we have no real concept of value. That is the ultimate objective we must “PRIZE“, but in the meantime, there are other ways we can show if our judgement of “VALUE” is credible.
The Psalmist understood that, in a relative sense, God didn’t want animal sacrifices. God wanted surrendered, willing servants and proposed that obedience to God’s word was of greater significance than all other religious endeavours.
Psalm 40:6 (B) You have given me the capacity to hear and obey [Your law, a more valuable service than] burnt offerings and sin offerings [which] You do not require.
According to our target verse (1 Corinthians 10:23), the first decision to make is, “Is it helpful“? Before we do anything, in “purpose, thought and action“, alternatively described as “MOTIVES” and expressed 39 times as such in the New Testament, it is beneficial to ask if it is helpful, is it true, is it kind, is it necessary, is it. If the answer is no in any instance, maybe it is “NOT EXPEDIENT OR PERMISSIBLE“, even though it is “legitimate“. Should I ask of us in a week or a month what the four leading questions are, will we have practised them adequately so they are spontaneous?
When sarcasm, satire or self-interest is the underlying motive in our communications, we can be reasonably sure that it is not “HELPFUL.” And so, to remove those “ambiguities“, the Amplified version expands the meaning by including “expedient, profitable and wholesome”, which is “not merely convenient.”
There is a similar word to “EXPEDIENT“, and that is “EXPEDITIOUS“, which means acting or doing things with speed and efficiency. I doubt we are ever left in the dark as to the “EXPEDIENCY” of a matter. Firstly, we have been providentially provided with a very sensitive “Conscience“, vigorously stimulated when questions arise in our mind, that is, unless we have seared it by suppression.
How frequently do we choose to ignore our conscience? In writing to Titus, Paul went to some lengths in explaining that we are searing our conscience when it suits us and our preferences. Let us ask ourselves the following question: Does Paul’s scenario apply to our case?
Titus 2:10 Nor to steal by taking things of small value, but to prove themselves (That is, show we are learning to sense what is vital … comments mine) truly loyal and entirely reliable and faithful throughout, so that in everything they may be an ornament and do credit to the teaching [which is] from and about God our Savior. (Even that which we set out to learn seven weeks ago)
Secondly, by now, we should qualify as the individual nominated by James in 4:17, a “person who knows what is right to do“, and so now we become “EXPEDITIOUS“, short-circuiting the temptation to procrastinate, which is a form of leaven, that spreading ferment of apathy, indifference, lethargy.
Joshua was “EXPEDITIOUS“; he left nothing undone (Joshua 11:15), and I suggest Bezalel would not have tolerated tardiness for one second and likewise was meticulous according to Exodus and a pattern for us.
Exodus 39:43 And Moses inspected all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, so had they done it. And Moses blessed them.
Often, when we stop to “reason out” what we should do, it is because we are inclined to “choose what to do” instead of following our conscience or God’s precepts. Paul narrows it down even further, eliminating our justifications for what we want to do.
Romans 14:16 Do not therefore let what seems good to you (our preferences or “legitimate choices”) be considered an evil thing [by someone else]. [In other words, do not give occasion for others to criticize that which is justifiable for you.]
An ecclesiastical term for ” APPROVE AND PRIZE WHAT IS EXCELLENT AND OF REAL VALUE“ is “AWARENESS“, but it is still an “ecclesiastical term“, not a living reality because we are still “earthbound” by our reluctance to “Step up to Expectations“, to strive for “Excellence“, to “Give nothing less than the full measure“, still to be seen with the polishing cloth in our hand to buff up our idols of preference.
I often hear the justification, “But I have always done it this way“, clearly defining our acceptance of the status quo, the near enough, the admission that we are reluctant to change, which is the key word in “repentance.” It’s not that we don’t know how to “change”, for we do it consistently in our “knowing to do right, and not doing it.”
It is of little wonder the apostle Paul said, “that you may surely learn.”
Paul does not leave it at “HELPFUL“; he piles on further conditions, asking if it is “expedient, profitable, and wholesome“, a repetition of 1 Corinthians 6:12, but where he gives an additional assessment condition. ” Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power.”
We become slaves when we succumb to our preferences or ignore our conscience, and individually, we have “our own little load of oppressive faults” (Galatians 6:5), which includes things we pay too much attention to and those we tend to ignore. In so doing, we qualify as submitting to “the mind of the flesh with this carnal thoughts and purposes” and obviously detour from the “helpful, expedient, profitable and wholesome.” Oh, if it were only a “little load!”
I can be reasonably sure that we often apply the “EXPEDIENT” test to our behaviour but can guarantee that we give little heed to the “HELPFUL“; does it contribute to the “construction of character and edifying to spiritual life.” (1 Corinth 10:23) (Do we remember what the rest of the group were … TRUE, KIND, NECESSARY)
We might think that our individual “characteristics”, sometimes called “quirks” and “idiosyncrasies”, don’t have any effect on other people. Even our personal life has to carry the obvious stamp of “CONSTRUCTION and EDIFICATION.”
Did the way we prepared for service this morning take place in the soil of “what is excellent and of real value“, or was it clouded in mediocrity because we are still not “Sensing what is Vital.”
A good exercise for us is memorising Philippians 4:8 – 9, redirecting our thinking and enhancing our education and practice.
Philippians 4:8 For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honourable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. (V9) Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.
Helpful, True, Kind, Necessary, Expedient, Profitable, Wholesome, Legitimate, Constructive, Edifying.
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Ross Smith 