CH 1 Thinking Out Of The Box

One Sunday I was listening to our Assistant Pastor make the usual weekly announcements. No one was scheduled to do the “Praise and Prayer” time for the month of February 2001. I felt impressed to volunteer and did so at the close of services. Before the service was over I had been impressed to do an object lesson using Newton’s Cradle for the first week of the month. When we looked at home for the cradle, we couldn’t find it. Irritation would be followed by amazement as the search for this strange object led to the next lesson and ultimately for the seed thought for this book.

The next Saturday, while I was teaching my Business Ethics class my wife and mother shopped several places to no avail. I joined them and we ventured into a novelty shop. The owner said they no longer sold the cradle, but suggested other stores that might. While browsing I discovered the “Thinking Out of the Box” symbol and my mind returned to a similar theme that had been used by Prudential several years earlier. Almost immediately I had the thought for the second week. Throughout my business career I had encountered such statements as, “That’s just the way we do things,” or “We tried that once and it didn’t work,” or “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” Thinking out of the box gives the chance to step back and take a fresh look at the way things are. We don’t have to change just for the sake of change, but periodic evaluation is good for everyone.

Someone has called our current condition our “comfort zone.” We need to break out or “think out of the box” if we are ever to grow personally, professionally, or more importantly, spiritually. I’ve always felt we would be better off wearing out than rusting out. Fortunately, God gave us several examples of those who were led to “ think out of the box” in order to become great leaders. Moses was a man God had protected as a baby, but had become a murderer (Exodus 2). God sent him to the desert for 40 years to prepare him to lead the people to the Promised Land. Moses was truly given a new way of looking at things. God sent Jonah to the city of Nineveh to preach. In his fear Jonah decided he knew better and ran the other way. It only took three days in the belly of the whale to change Jonah’s attitude and lead a great revival. God could have used someone else, but he chose Jonah.

Saul of Tarsus was the greatest persecutor of the early church. He was a Jew of the Jews, but God made him the great writer of church doctrine. He had to lose his sight in order to see the true way. Paul thought out of the box of his old way of thinking in order to be approved by God. Each of these men had rules for operating their lives. God gave them each a different vision. Each of us has the world’s way ofthinking before accepting Christ. If we are not careful the world will continue to “box” or fence us in. He challenges us to purpose to be what He wants us to be. Being His does not enslave us, but liberates us. The Father would never expect anything of us without giving us specific instructions.

The first guidance toward “thinking out of the box” as a Christian is found in Romans 12:2,
"And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

God challenges us to allow Him to change us. We renew our mind by being in His Word so He can speak to us. Next God describes how He expects our mind to work. In Philippians 2:5 the Apostle Paul wrote,
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."

If we can do this in only small portions what an improvement we would see. I don’t know all of the ramifications of this verse, but I believe any thing God asks us to do He also equips and enables us to do. With the what (renewing), and the how (mind of Christ), we need only to see an example of the work of an acceptable mind thinking out of the box. Paul also gives us this instruction in Philippians 4:8 where he wrote, Finally, brethren, whatsoever thing are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever are just,whatsoever things pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. In this time the person applying God’s principles as stated above would truly be “thinking out of the box.” May God give us the grace to allow Him to work these practices into our lives.