Please enjoy this excerpt from Manage Your Mission – Living wisely and abundantly for today and eternity. This book will help craft your life mission, establish its priorities, and succeed in each area: Faith – Family – Fitness – Field – Friends – Fun – Finances.
As the saying goes, have an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out. When you have thoroughly researched something, then it may be closing time.
I’ve changed my mind on many things when confronted with new evidence. That doesn’t mean I always land on the right spot, but it does mean that I stay open to new information. I went from being an atheist/agnostic to being a Christian based on the evidence (and, of course, because the Holy Spirit made me spiritually alive). I went from Arminian theology to Reformed theology. I won’t expand on those concepts here, as both camps are Christian. And if you don’t understand the terms, then keep reading. I joke that I wasn’t unpopular enough with the world by being a conservative Christian, so I shifted to Reformed theology to worsen my standing. We should stay open to new information while realizing that some things are as clear as can be and don’t need to be revisited.
When I teach about reading the Bible in context (one of my favorite videos), I use something I initially misunderstood in every example. It is humbling to realize you were wrong, but once you get in the mode of always wanting the truth, you’ll be much better off.
One of the verses I initially got wrong was Philippians 4:13 (I can do all things through him who strengthens me). People typically use that as an “I can accomplish anything because of Jesus” passage. That may be true in some sense, but that isn’t what the verse means. Simply reading the verses before and after shows that Paul’s secret of being content in all situations — good or bad — was doing it all through Jesus. He follows that verse by saying, “Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble,” which would make no sense if the previous verse was about accomplishing your goals. Oh, and he was in prison when he wrote the letter, so if it meant accomplishing all things, it seems like the first thing he would have done would have been to get out of prison.
I mention that because one guy I taught this to conceded that while my analysis was correct, he still liked his interpretation better. It wasn’t like I was going to follow him around correcting him, but I hope that upon further reflection, he decided to go with the real meaning. Holding onto incorrect theology or other false ideas because we are too proud to admit we were wrong is a profoundly bad idea.
If you held the incorrect view on Philippians 4:13, don’t get rid of your t-shirt or coffee mug just yet. The proper understanding is not only great news but also better than the misinterpretation. Deep down, you knew you wouldn’t accomplish everything you desired, but now you know you can still be content regardless of circumstances.
So be open to correction while confidently remembering that the main truths are crystal clear.
Copyright 2022
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible
Eternity Matters 