I will fix my thoughts on whatever is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.
Philippians 4:8 NIV
Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us such clear direction on what to fill our minds with whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable, and to fix our thoughts on whatever is excellent and worthy of praise.
Lord, I can only imagine how our countenance would change if we obeyed your instructions.
Would we be free of worry and anxiousness?
Would we be freed from jealousy and insecurity?
Would we say adios to bitterness, anger, and resentment instead of ruminating over offenses?
If we really obeyed you in this area of minding our thoughts, what would happen to our emotional and spiritual health? Would joy fill our souls? Would peace reign in our hearts? God, I wonder, what would happen to our physical bodies with less stress on our spirits?
Lord, please forgive us for not obeying you, when all you’re asking of us is to do what is best for our lives. Please give us a teachable heart and submitted spirit to do whatever you ask of us, even in our thought life.
In the Strong Name of Jesus, Amen.
For a ’90s girl like me, “whatever” comes out more like “wwwwhhhhhaaaatevvvvaaa,” and always includes an eye roll. Regardless of our generational experience, the “whatever” we find in Philippians 4 offers a timeless application.
We can’t go wrong to heed the wisdom of the Word to fill our mind with only that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy.
If we were to get honest with one another, however, the “whatevers” filling our mind tend to not to be quite in line with God’s instructions. It’s not just about the music we’re listening to, books we’re reading, or what we’re watching on TV and viewing on the internet. I definitely believe we need to consider those habits and make changes where appropriate. But we also need to be equally concerned about the conversations we engage in with others in real life and via a screen. Those “whatevers” matter just as much!
Is what we’re listening to from those we live with, work with, and socialize with . . . true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy?
Is what we’re reading on our social media feeds . . . true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy?
Wouldn’t you agree that if the words being exchanged with those we’re in relationships with, no matter how deep or superficial, don’t echo the wisdom found in the Word, we’ve got a problem? So what does it look like to minimize those interactions or call each other “out” in a way that is loving, truthful, and grace-filled?
Are we surrounding ourselves with people and experiences that support our mission to think on . . . whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy?
Above all, we can’t miss the most important part of the instruction from Philippians 4:8: We must be mindful of what we think about! Oh yes, as we continue to move into a habit of taking captive our thoughts, we now have a sweet list of what to dwell upon . . . whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy.
What can you do to begin the habit of dwelling on “whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy?”
To continue this journey of living brave and inviting the next generation to join you in the journey, get a copy of Brave Together: A Conversation Starter for Cultivating Biblical Mentoring Relationships.
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