The apostle Paul tells us, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is lovely, whatever is excellent, whatever is praiseworthy: think about such things” (Philippians 4:8, NIV). He goes on to promise that when you “think on these things” the “peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”
My mind grasps the concepts of true, lovely, excellent, and praiseworthy easily enough. The Bible and the world God created provide ample examples from which to learn true, lovely, excellent, and praiseworthy. My mind can take hold of these concepts and process them readily—but what about “noble?” If the Bible provides examples and instruction on “true, lovely, excellent, and praiseworthy,” then certainly there are models for “noble” and nobility.
This raised new questions. What does “noble” mean in today’s society? What did it mean in the biblical age? How does the Bible define this word “noble” that finds its way into everything from classical literature to action hero movies? For me, noble had always been some vague notion in the back of my mind born out of my high school European history class or classic literature like Sir Walter Scott’s Ivenhoe or Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’arthur. How could I—an average “nobody”—sincerely follow Paul’s admonition to “think about such things” as nobility without a biblical and therefore, foundational understanding of what it means to be noble?
Dr. Warren Wiersbe, referencing Romans 5:17, writes, “Because we belong to the family of the King, we can ‘reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.’”* In other words, if you are of the household of faith dear reader, then you are of noble re-birth, and that is a pedigree worth celebrating!
The emphasis of Noble Plans (and this blog) is based on an oft-overlooked passage of Isaiah: “The noble man devises noble plans; and by noble plans he stands” (Isaiah 32:8). When I first read this verse, I was enthralled with its implications. Paul’s admonition in Philippians—to think on noble things—was brought home in a new way as I rolled Isaiah’s words around in my mind. Soon I found more and more references to “noble” in the Bible like threads of continuity woven into the majestic tapestry.
I wondered at writing on the subject and committed to this plan, and stand behind the plan that God desires all of His children to be noble. It is my hope that God will plant in you noble plans and that these plans will see you through all of your days.
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"The noble man devises noble plans, and by noble plans he stands"
*Heirs of the King, Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids, MI
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