Tie-dyed Sunset

The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken,

and summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
The perfection of beauty, God has shown forth.
The heavens declare His righteousness.
--Psalm 50:1, 2, 6

Living On Purpose at The Speed Of Life --with Brian Heaphy

Desire
Weve all heard the familiar expression, Its the thought that counts. Well, never do these words hold more truth than
when it comes to ones own spiritual condition. The roots of spiritual growth and spiritual decay can always be traced back to
our thoughtsand it is the intensity of these thoughts that controls the rate of travel in either direction. Simply put, it is the
primary focus and intentional force of a persons mind that determine his or her spiritual trajectory.
From beginning to end, Scripture emphasizes concentrated, single-minded living as Gods prescription for spiritual growth.
So numerous are such Bible verses that it is difficult to understand why we so often fail to obey their clear commands.
Regardless of our behavior, however, it is certain that God demands and deserves first place in every area of our lives
(Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 6:33).
In his book, 50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die, John Piper wrote, This is what sin isdishonoring God by PREFERRING other
things over Him, and acting on those preferences. He continued, We were made to experience full and lasting happiness
from seeing and savoring the glory of God. If our best joy comes from something less, we are idolaters. In other words,
thoughts in the form of misguided preferences are the basis of sin.
Few would argue that God has used the apostle Paul to establish a pattern of pursuit with respect to seeking
Christlikeness. With this in mind, consider what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13-14: ONE THING I DO: forgetting what lies
behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus. By his own admission, Paul lived a one-dimensional life. He paid no attention to either accomplishments or failures
of the past, but remained focused only on the goal (Christlikeness here and now) while keeping the prize (Christlikeness
in Heaven) in mind. Everything else was inconsequential to him. Philippians 3:15 instructs all believers to have this same,
single-purposed attitude.
Shortly afterward in Philippians 4:8-9, Paul gives us some insight as to the strategy that he employs and deems necessary in
order to maintain a focused pursuit of Christ. Here he writes, Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,
DWELL ON THESE THINGS. As such, Paul demonstrates and advocates thought control and the power of positive
thinking as vital components regarding the processes of spiritual growth and Christian living.
Negative thinking is equally potent however. Consider how Jesus Himself clearly describes the magnified value which He
assigns to what we so commonly consider to be mere thoughts. In Matthew 5:22 and 5:28, Jesus emphasizes that the
internal attitudes or thoughts behind sinful behaviors carry the SAME moral guilt as the acts themselvesregardless of
whether or not those thoughts are physically acted upon. Using our Lords examples, anger incurs the same judgment as
murder and lust incurs the same judgment as adultery.
As previously mentioned, the preferred focus or direction of our thoughts is only half of the equation when it comes to
spiritual growth. We now need to look at the intensity that is to be associated with such thoughts. Here again, the Bible

gives us much material to work with. To begin, Scripture makes it very clear that Gods Word is the exclusive, all-sufficient
agent of growth (2 Timothy 3:16-17). As such, it is extremely fitting that 1 Peter 2:2 instructs all believers to, like newborn
babies, LONG FOR the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. The singular desire (and
most vital need) of newborn babies is milkand this desire is undeniably intense and persistent.
While keeping the previous parent verses from 2 Timothy and 1 Peter in mind, lets take a look at how Scripture
consistently reinforces Itself with respect to identifying the high levels of importance and intensity that must be assigned to
the believers desire for Divine Wisdom. An excellent starting point is found in Job 23:12 where Job speaks about the
supreme value of Scripture: I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food. Now notice the
striking similarity that is found in Jeremiah 15:16: Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became for me a
joy and the delight of my heart. The inestimable value of Gods Word is likewise upheld in Psalm 19:9-10: The judgments
of the Lord aremore desirable than gold, yes than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the
honeycomb.
In Joshua 1:8 we read: This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so
that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you
will have success. Proverbs 2:3-5 promise: For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her
as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of
God. This pattern continues in Jeremiah 29:13: You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Proverbs 7:1-4 and 8:17,19 combine very nicely to convey Scriptures aggregate bottom line regarding the pursuit of Gods
Wisdom and spiritual maturity: Keep my words and TREASURE my commandments WITHIN you. Keep my commandments
and live, and my teaching as the apple of your eye. I love those who love me; and those who DILIGENTLY SEEK ME will find
me. My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold. And so it is that, time and again, Scripture assigns the same unrivaled and
uninterrupted priority to the seeking of Gods Wisdomand It identifies this pursuit as the most necessary element of
spiritual growth. According to the Bible, the constant, central focus of our thoughts is to be on Gods Word.
So how about you? What is your hearts greatest desire? Would your family, friends, and co-workers agree with your claim?
We must keep ALL THINGS in proper perspective from an eternal point of viewand not allow ourselves to be misled by our
carnal human natures or the worlds fallen social climate (Romans 12:2, 1 John 2:15-17).
Brian Heaphy is a former U.S. Navy SEAL Officer, Federal Officer, and Wilderness Guide who now
makes his home in Alaskas remote upper Yukon River valley. While practicing a subsistence
lifestyle, he photographs Creation and writes about Living On Purpose at The Speed Of Life. TM
Brian most enjoys formatting his award-winning images as Scripture-versed note cards and
Christmas cards. These Christian cards (along with his museum-quality prints and stretched-canvas
products) are available for viewing and sales at www.brianheaphy.com (view the card images and
verses via the Product Information page). Brians work may also be found at fine art galleries,
museums, and gift shops nationwide.
All images and authorial texts Copyright Brian M. Heaphy
Scripture verses and verse segments are taken from The New American Standard Bible , Copyright 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977,
1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Emphasis (word capitalization) added by author.