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.
They say a man's home is his castle. However, a man's home is merely the exterior of himself. It is his show of power, his outward means of proving to the world that he's a man and that he succeeds at what he does. To outward eyes, he may seem to have it all together. Others may even envy him for all he apparently has.
What would happen if that man's home were turned inside out? What if all the outside walls of his home were open and everyone could see every facet of his life?
Our thoughts are just like that. Our thoughts can seldom be turned inside out so that others know what we are thinking. In the private domain of a man's thoughts, he can be completely different. He can mask his anger and calumny. He can hide his treachery and rebellion. He can secretly lust for all things that do not belong to him. He can think evil thoughts without anyone knowing his true darkness.
But though he fool the world, he can never fool God. God knows a man's mind before the man does. God graciously at times protects our feet from walking where they should not and hides our eyes from things we should not see. But at other times, He may permit us, in His perfect providence, to strike our foot on a stone and fall headlong into temptation and sin. He does this for our own good. Therefore, we should never presume upon His grace, but remain constant in the guarding of our hearts and minds.
Part of this guarding is what Paul is getting at in Philippians chapter 4. He says, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." The peace of God in Christ will guard your hearts and minds. This means that if one is to guard his heart and mind, he must first and foremost be at peace with God and be in Christ. There are many places in Scripture that talk about being in Christ (see here). Perhaps simply put, being in Christ is to be in a saving way with Christ; that is, the man has heard the gospel, recognizes his sin and need of a savior, and then looked in faith and repentance to Christ for salvation. Being in Christ is to be effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified and kept by His power. And surely, if one is being saved, he is, even at this very hour, at peace with God.
Therefore, being at peace with God in Christ, Paul gives even more practical application to us on how we shall guard our hearts and minds. He says that we should find certain things to think on.
We should think on things that are true. This immediately excludes things that are false. Whatever is a lie we should not think on. Whatever is a farce or a fiction we should not dwell on. The things that are true, however, would completely encompass the scriptures, first and foremost, would include the natural creation of God, would include relationships with our fellow men.
We should think on things that are honorable and just. This means we should not dwell on unlawful things that persons do, or that we have done ourselves. We should think on things that bring honor and glory to God, and to His Church.
We should think on things that are pure and lovely. This surely must encompass our most intimate thoughts and passions. We should care for our hearts and minds in such a way as to exclude all impure thoughts and lusts. Not that we can fully and finally rid them from our minds because this world constantly parades lewd and distasteful images before us. We should close our eyes to these images and not desire to see them. But especially, we should not dwell on any lustful or impure thought. We should think on things in purity, appreciating the beauty God has made in the world, but not allowing those beauties to overcome their Creator. If something catches the eye and makes the man glory in the creature, rather than the Creator, then that man has set the beauty above God in His heart, and from there, his own desires seek to destroy him by his lust and sinful passion.
And finally, Paul tells us to think on things that are commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy. One must take care in these categories because the world's opinion of what these things are is in direct opposition to God's absolute truth on the matter. Man will always glory in himself. Therefore, whatever the natural man praises is not what God would call praiseworthy. In the end, any action, opinion, or motive, which is contrary to the example of the Lord Jesus is not truly commendable, excellent, or praiseworthy. And remember, the cross of Christ is foolishness to the world (1 Cor 1:18). The world does not view Jesus Christ as one who personifies commendation and excellence. But we know, even from this same letter of Paul, that He has been given a name above every name (Phil 2:9-11). And we know that the world will look upon Whom they have despised and will be ashamed that they despised Him (Zech 2:12). If we, however, look unto Jesus, we shall never be despised by God nor be ashamed (1 Pet 4:16), and we shall never have wasted our time thinking on Him, Who is the very definition of praiseworthy.
Our thought lives are the only thing that can never be taken from us. If we were cast into the most solitary of places, our thoughts would go with us. A man endeavors to make his thoughts as they ought to be, so that when he is left alone with them, they will be a companion that will allow him to know that he is not alone in this vast universe, and that, though everyone has forsaken him, he will never be forsaken by God and is loved by Him.
Assignment:
1. Memorize Philippians 4:8.
2. Journal each of these thought categories and give examples of each that you might think on. Hint: Think of examples from the Bible.
3. During the week, if you find yourself thinking a thought you should not think, remember this verse and repeat it to yourself.
4. During the week, try to get alone with your thoughts (no TV, no Music, or books) and imagine what it would be like if you were truly alone for a long period of time. Journal about that experience.
1. Memorize Philippians 4:8.
2. Journal each of these thought categories and give examples of each that you might think on. Hint: Think of examples from the Bible.
3. During the week, if you find yourself thinking a thought you should not think, remember this verse and repeat it to yourself.
4. During the week, try to get alone with your thoughts (no TV, no Music, or books) and imagine what it would be like if you were truly alone for a long period of time. Journal about that experience.
