"Finally, 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. Whatever 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." Philippians 4:8
What we put into our minds is just as important (if not more important) than what we put into our physical bodies. Have you ever heard the modern "new age" saying that you must heal your "body, MIND and soul"? - well that isn't a new age concept - it has been twisted and distorted by the "new age movement" but this is Biblical. In the Scripture above we learn how important our thoughts are and what God desires us to think about.
The following is nutrition for our mind:
TRUE - factual, correct & exact
"The truth will set you free" and also with your mind - if you focus on the truth - your mind will be free and won't be bogged down with the stress and worry of lies.
NOBLE - honorable, principled, moral, decent & self-sacrificing
My high school mascot was the "Nobles" - a knight riding on a horse. What a positive example for high school students - moral & self-sacrificing - a perfect goal for anyone of any age.
RIGHT - well, healthy, fit
This can also be the same meaning as true but these "good" words are also a meaning of the word "right." In our society we concentrate so much on our physical appearance & well-being - keeping our weight & cholesterol down that we forget about the fitness of our mind.
PURE - clean, uncontaminated, unpolluted, unadulterated
Purity is a characteristic that is made fun of in our modern world. It is also so difficult to keep since we have polluted & contaminated visual stimuli coming at us everyday on TV, the Internet and in ads. Keeping our mind clean will benefit ourselves and those around us.
LOVELY - beautiful, pretty, divine
My favorite word in this description of lovely is "divine" - to me that means Godly. Thinking about what God has done for us, is doing for us and the plans that He has for us (past, present & future).
ADMIRABLE - commendable, venerable, worthy
When I think of the word "admirable" I think of the best of the best. It's something that is respectable and "worth" your time and mental effort.
EXCELLENT - outstanding, brilliant, exceptional, first-rate
PRAISEWORTHY - exemplary, creditable
To me, both "excellent" and "praiseworthy" are basically the same thing. If I cannot praise God while thinking about a topic then I probably shouldn't be thinking about that topic.
And then we are to put all of these attributes into action and make them good works.
Good, Godly thoughts become Good works of God!
What we put into our minds is just as important (if not more important) than what we put into our physical bodies. Have you ever heard the modern "new age" saying that you must heal your "body, MIND and soul"? - well that isn't a new age concept - it has been twisted and distorted by the "new age movement" but this is Biblical. In the Scripture above we learn how important our thoughts are and what God desires us to think about.
The following is nutrition for our mind:
TRUE - factual, correct & exact
"The truth will set you free" and also with your mind - if you focus on the truth - your mind will be free and won't be bogged down with the stress and worry of lies.
NOBLE - honorable, principled, moral, decent & self-sacrificing
My high school mascot was the "Nobles" - a knight riding on a horse. What a positive example for high school students - moral & self-sacrificing - a perfect goal for anyone of any age.
RIGHT - well, healthy, fit
This can also be the same meaning as true but these "good" words are also a meaning of the word "right." In our society we concentrate so much on our physical appearance & well-being - keeping our weight & cholesterol down that we forget about the fitness of our mind.
PURE - clean, uncontaminated, unpolluted, unadulterated
Purity is a characteristic that is made fun of in our modern world. It is also so difficult to keep since we have polluted & contaminated visual stimuli coming at us everyday on TV, the Internet and in ads. Keeping our mind clean will benefit ourselves and those around us.
LOVELY - beautiful, pretty, divine
My favorite word in this description of lovely is "divine" - to me that means Godly. Thinking about what God has done for us, is doing for us and the plans that He has for us (past, present & future).
ADMIRABLE - commendable, venerable, worthy
When I think of the word "admirable" I think of the best of the best. It's something that is respectable and "worth" your time and mental effort.
EXCELLENT - outstanding, brilliant, exceptional, first-rate
PRAISEWORTHY - exemplary, creditable
To me, both "excellent" and "praiseworthy" are basically the same thing. If I cannot praise God while thinking about a topic then I probably shouldn't be thinking about that topic.
And then we are to put all of these attributes into action and make them good works.
Good, Godly thoughts become Good works of God!
What a great post. Positive, godly thoughts can take effort, but they are so worth it. Xoxo
ReplyDeleteGreat verse and a nice positive post!
ReplyDelete