Think On These

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

— Philippians 4:8 ESV

Philippians 4:8 is a verse we have used for the Daily Invitation in the past, and it is one we will use again in the future. The reason is that it is hard to find a better filter for our thought life than this verse.

We tend to justify our behavior, even when we know it is wrong. It really does not take much at times to convince ourselves to give in to thoughts that are ultimately destructive. In the moment, anger and hatred feel like the only way to fuel our energy, lust seems like a worthwhile thought, and gossip and complaining feel justified. On the other side, we feel empty, hypocritical, and unfulfilled.

In the moment, when I am tempted to think according to what my flesh wants to think, this verse tends to pop up. Not that I can always recite every word to the long list of attributes, but the truth of this verse becomes a filter for what I allow myself to think.

It is much harder to justify our negative or sinful thoughts when we have to consider if it is true, honorable, just, or pure. Notice how Paul does not say to think about things that are just good? In the moment, things seem good. Being judgmental or critical seems good, but is that excellent or praiseworthy?

Abiding is about more than showing up to meet with Jesus once a day. It is about living out a standard and culture of freedom and goodness that Jesus modeled for us. It comes with tension, but that tension is where we grow.

Does this sound familiar? You come to your devotional time feeling defeated or downcast because we got beat up by the enemy throughout our day. We try to get refueled in the word, but we feel unworthy. We try to pray, but we feel ashamed.

I know I’ve been there. The truth is that we are called to both seek God in the secret place and honor him with our lives the rest of the time. That tension when we are tempted to think contrary to God’s word is when we are open to the grace to turn from it and ask God to change our thoughts.

This actually works. We can invite the Holy Spirit to point out these moments throughout our day, and he will faithfully show us where we need correction. When he corrects, he gives grace. When he reproves, he shows mercy.

It’s a big challenge, and it certainly spans more than one day of work, but we can start here. Abiding is about every moment of our lives.

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