Whatever…

 

^{Philippians 4:8-9}

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

What do you spend most of your day thinking about? Are you thinking of debts you owe, the job you don’t have, the love you lost, or the conflict at work or school? Maybe you spend your day thinking about the past and how good things were or about what you deserve. perhaps your thoughts are on what you would do different if you were God.

It’s no secret. We can drive ourselves crazy thinking about what could have been and we have all felt like we’ve been robbed. The mind is a powerful thing, but it’s unfortunate that, for the most part,  we choose to fill it with negative thoughts. Many times we choose to allow our thoughts to dictate our course of action…for example one might say: “I’m doomed to fail so why even try?” Another person might yell in a time of desperation, “I can’t catch a break!” These kinds of thoughts will not only cripple you spiritually, but they will cause you to accept your self-proposed fate without much resistance.

Paul, the writer of Philippians, understood human nature. He understood that our minds tend to wander into places they don’t belong. I think he understood our tendency to believe lies rather than the truth and this is why he left us a blueprint of what our thoughts should be focused on…

1. Whatever is TRUE.

I could spend a lot of time writing what God says is true about you and I, but I will only mention a few.

• It is true that you are created in God’s image.
• It is true that your worth or value does not depend on what you do. It is based on the fact that God created you special and unique and full of purpose.
• It is true that no one else on this earth can do what you were placed here to do or accomplish.
• It is true that God has provided you with everything you need (Him first) to accomplish your purpose on this earth.

2. Whatever is NOBLE.

This implies a loftiness of character or spirit that scorns the petty, mean, base, or dishonorable. It implies having elevated principles and consistently adhering to them.

• It is noble thinking when your mind is on honorable things, like helping those in need.
• It is noble thinking when your mind is on Godly principles like honesty and kindness and humility.

3. Whatever is RIGHT.

This implies rejecting and standing against injustice or falsehood. It means rejecting thoughts of superiority or entitlement. It means holding God’s Word as the standard.

• Right thinking says all have sinned and have fallen short of God’s standard…me included.
• Right thinking says that we should consider others as better than ourselves.
• Right thinking says that we should fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.
• Right thinking says that we are here to serve and not to be served.

4. Whatever is PURE.

Quite simply this means untainted with evil; innocent. If we could physically wash our brains at the end of each day how much “dirt” would we collect? Not even Oxi-Clean would do the job would it?

• Pure thoughts are rooted in God’s definition of what things are meant for.
• Pure thoughts are grounded on what can be exposed without embarrassment or shame.
• Pure thoughts do not have to be kept secret.
• Pure thoughts do not have selfish motives.

5. Whatever is LOVELY.

This implies anything that is delightful, highly pleasing, charming or exquisitely beautiful. It can be a physical characteristic as well as an abstract idea like a relationship or art.

• Thinking about things that are lovely involves appreciating what God has created (a person, a place, or a thing.)
• Thinking about things that are lovely will require you to notice them in their natural setting…sometimes they are moments like a walk on the beach with your loved one or admiring a sunset.
• Thinking about things that are lovely will inspire you and cause you to acknowledge God’s handiwork.

6. Whatever is ADMIRABLE.

This implies anything that is worthy of reverence, awe, or excellence.

• An admirable thought can cause you to fall silent or well up with tears as in a heroic act.
• An admirable thought can many times be in the unexplained.

I hope these definitions have helped to bring this verse to life. My prayer is that today you and I will make it a point to think on these things rather than on whatever may be clouding our minds. I wonder…what would life be like if all of us began to put this passage into practice? My guess is that we would begin to see more smiles and less frowns, more laughs and less tears, more love and less hate…think about it!

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