What do you think
about when you drive?
What do you listen to at home?
When the remote control is
in your hands, what channels do you turn to and allow to flow into your mind?
Did you know if you feed your mind on a diet of mental junk food, your spiritual health will reflect it? Conversely, if you feed your mind on a diet of eternal truths, the character of God, the promises He has given, His track record with His people, your spiritual health will, over time, prove stronger and more consistent and lasting than you ever thought possible.
In Philippians 4:8, Paul writes “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
The word DWELL is not a casual word. It means “to deduce, to reason, to calculate, to ponder, to deliberate, to subject to protracted analysis or thought.” It implies thinking about a matter long enough to take into account its character and realize its implications for your life. If we apply the definition to each thing Paul mentions in verse 8, we would see a description of thinking great thoughts:
Did you know if you feed your mind on a diet of mental junk food, your spiritual health will reflect it? Conversely, if you feed your mind on a diet of eternal truths, the character of God, the promises He has given, His track record with His people, your spiritual health will, over time, prove stronger and more consistent and lasting than you ever thought possible.
In Philippians 4:8, Paul writes “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
The word DWELL is not a casual word. It means “to deduce, to reason, to calculate, to ponder, to deliberate, to subject to protracted analysis or thought.” It implies thinking about a matter long enough to take into account its character and realize its implications for your life. If we apply the definition to each thing Paul mentions in verse 8, we would see a description of thinking great thoughts:
- True: Think about things that
are objectively true, things that conform to reality. Before you put
something in your mind ask: Is
this true?
- Honorable: Means worthy of
respect. It refers to those things that reflect the serious purposes of a
believer’s life. Before that movie, commercial, or conversation goes into
your mind, ask yourself: Does
this honor God and reflect His purposes for me?
- Right: This word is a picture
of duty. Before you spend time thinking about something, ask yourself: Is this right or wrong?
- Pure: This word means ‘holy’,
pure from defilement or immorality. Ask yourself: Am I thinking on things that are pure
and holy?
- Lovely: Means attractive,
winsome, and beautiful. Ask yourself: Is my mind filled with beauty?
- Of Good Repute: The word means
admirable or literally for speaking. In other words, ask yourself: Are these thoughts fit for God’s
hearing?
Paul urges us to
practice this kind of thinking. How do we do that?
First, begin to think great thoughts- the best place to begin is the scripture.
Second, dwell on great truths. Let me give you one example. ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose’ spoken by Jim Elliot is a great truth. There are hundreds of truths like these.
Third, take time to notice beauty: the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, the trees, and the flowers. “The heavens declare the glory of God.” (Psalm 19:1)
Fourth, meditate on spiritual insights. One example of many would be: ‘God loves me at this moment as much as He ever has and as much as He ever will. My performance isn’t going to change that.’ Wow! What an insight.
Let’s begin thinking great thoughts.
First, begin to think great thoughts- the best place to begin is the scripture.
Second, dwell on great truths. Let me give you one example. ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose’ spoken by Jim Elliot is a great truth. There are hundreds of truths like these.
Third, take time to notice beauty: the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, the trees, and the flowers. “The heavens declare the glory of God.” (Psalm 19:1)
Fourth, meditate on spiritual insights. One example of many would be: ‘God loves me at this moment as much as He ever has and as much as He ever will. My performance isn’t going to change that.’ Wow! What an insight.
Let’s begin thinking great thoughts.
Blessings,
P.S. “I wish I would have…” is one of the worst feelings to live with. The good news is that feeling that can be avoided! Join us Sunday as we discover 3 key ingredients to living a life free from that “I wish I would have” feeling. Join us this Sunday and bring a friend at 9:15 or 11:00 am.
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