Foundations of Discipline (6)

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which areby Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1.9-11

The bane of the status quo
It’s fair to say that many church leaders, and probably many Christians, are resigned to a kind of status quo Christian faith. They like things the way they are. They don’t aspire to much in their walk with the Lord, and they don’t invest much effort working for the progress of His Kingdom. They’re comfortable in their faith and don’t see the need for change. For them, it’s enough just to keep things going and be careful not to rock the boat.

Where do people get such stupid ideas?

As we’ve seen, this kind of thinking does not coincide with the mind of Him Who is making all things new, Who is putting all His enemies under His feet, advancing His Kingdom, building His Church, and bringing the knowledge of the glory of God to light over all the earth. We’re thinking with the mind of men, not the mind of Christ, when we settle for the status quo as the standard for our walk with and work for the Lord.

Excel still more
The Apostle Paul commanded the believers in Thessalonica to “excel still more” (1 Thess. 4.10 NASB). Believers are called to lives of excellence. As Paul wrote to the Philippians, we must strive to “approve” only things that are excellent. Excellence is no friend to the status quo.

The sense of excellence is to go beyond, to surpass, or to stand out as superior by comparison. Think of the water Jesus turned to wine in John 2. It wasn’t just any old cheap wine, it was the best. Excellence is a quality that applies to all of life. We must approve things that are excellent, and we must take up the disciplined life with a view to pursuing excellence in all things to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul directs our minds toward several expressions of excellence. Its clear from our text that excellence includes, first of all abounding love, that is, an overflow of the love of Christ, issuing like rivers of living water from the lives of those who know Him, at all times, in all situations (Jn. 7.37-39). Such love seeks always to edify others (1 Cor. 8.1), according to all the attributes of love outlined in such passages as 1 Corinthians 13.

Second, Paul indicates that excellence entails “all knowledge” as well, that is, the acquisition of whatever is appropriate or necessary for excellence in any situation. Such ability depends on possessing sufficient knowledge and understanding to be able to diagnose a situation and act in ways appropriate to excellence. Knowledge is gained by study, listening, and paying careful attention to our lives and times (Eph. ‪5.15-17; 1 Chron. 12.32). We are to seek excellence in all areas of knowledge necessary for serving Christ in our respective callings in life.

Next, Paul says “discernment” or “judgment” is also required for excellence. This may be related to skill in decision-making, making wise and loving choices, and following courses of action in every area of life that meet or exceed expectations. Such discernment comes through practice, based on increasing knowledge motivated by love.

Thus, excellence will also reflect the pure and blameless precepts of the Law of God, for these teach us how to excel in loving God and neighbors, and provide excellent counsel and guidelines for thinking about the requirements of love in any situation. The word, “sincere”,  speaks to our motives in doing things, that they must not be self-centered but in line with a conscience which is clean and pure before God and men. The Law of God is an important resource for excellence when it comes to a good conscience (Rom. 2.14, 15).

Excellence, thus informed, active, and pure, comes to expression as righteousness reflecting the character, mission, and work of Christ. At some point, it seems, our excellent lives must point others to Jesus, so that they understand that what they are seeing in us is Christ, Who lives in us and through us by His Word and Spirit. All the disciplines we take up in pursuit of excellence must therefore maintain focus on Christ and His agenda, or we will not realize the righteousness excellence demands.

Finally, excellence glorifies God, making known His glory as it may be discovered in any situation or work (1 Cor. 10.31-11.1; Prov. 25.2; Hab. 2.14), and leading to the praise and worship of God. Whenever we act with excellence we bear witness to Him Who is above all things excellent in every way. So it is only right that whatever excellence we manage in life should redound to the excellence and glory of Him Who empowers us for excellence in all things.

The Christian who hopes to settle into a status quo relationship with Christ is standing in the Lord’s way and needs to get behind Him and His agenda. We are commanded to approve things that are excellent in every aspect of life, so that in all things we will stand out according to the criteria of excellence before the watching world. Let “excellence in all things” be another watchword and standard as we take up the disciplined life in following the Lord Jesus Christ.

Next steps: Imagine a spectrum with “status quo” at one end (point 1, let’s say) and “excellence” at the other end (point 10). Where would you place yourself on that spectrum in a general sense? In the various arenas of your life? Talk with a Christian friend about this exercise.

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Foundations of Discipline, is part 2 of a 7-part series on The Disciplined Life, and is available as a free download by clicking here. We have prepared a special worksheet to help you begin getting your disciplines in proper shape for seeking the Kingdom. Write to T. M. at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for you free PDF of the “Disciplined Life Worksheet.”

A rightly-disciplined life requires a Kingdom vision, and that vision is centered on Jesus Christ exalted. T. M. has prepared a series of meditations on the glorious vision of Christ, based on Scripture and insights from the Celtic Christian tradition. Order your copy of Be Thou My Vision by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.