“If there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” -Philippians4:8
The pace of our daily lives makes moments to stop and think rare. When you do have a stop and think, where does your mind wander? Our minds can dwell on ugly things and anxious things, which never ends up promoting a glad heart.
A glad heart is not anxious but thankful in prayer, rejoicing in the Lord always, expressing a mild and gentle spirit to everyone (Philippians 4:4-6). Such a glad heart enjoys the peace of God. A peace which goes beyond our mind’s comprehension, guarding our minds to think upon God’s excellence and our hearts to be glad in Him (Philippians 4:7).
Such is the life of a Christian who thinks upon excellent, praiseworthy things.
We are commanded by God to think – to intentionally and regularly think upon – pure, truthful, lovely, excellent, praiseworthy things. It’s a command from the loving heart of God to enjoy Him forever. Such training for the loveliness of eternity rises from our minds dwelling on such excellence and loveliness of God here.
God speaks in His trustworthy Word of the lovely things our minds are to dwell upon. This truth comes with a warning to avoid immaturity like infants who are “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of teaching” (Ephesians4:14). Such immaturity of infant thinking spawns jealousy and hostility, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3.
Those who intentionally set their minds on the excellencies of Christ above will form better friendships, marriages, and parenting (Hebrews 1:3, 1 Peter 2:9). Christ who humbly served us and loves us first commands us to consider one another’s interests above our own. This level of service is fueled by minds filled with the lovely things of God. Promote goodness from a lovely heart which swells with good things which the mind thinks about.
What beautiful, lovely things am is my mind to dwell upon? Beauty is not in the eyes of the beholder, but the pure in heart will behold our beautiful God (Matthew5:8). When this ugly world entices your heart toward dark, impure thoughts, fight this by thinking about the things of God which are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy. When your mind goes negative and dark, fill your mind with the lovely things of God.
Remember, to have joy in God is a command from God (Philippians 4:4). We are to ALWAYS rejoice in the Lord. We can only rejoice in the Lord always because our hope is in His unceasing love for us. When our minds dwell upon the rich, lovely truths of God revealed to us in His Word, His peace guards our hearts and minds even in the most tense, hostile, hurtful things of this vapor like life.
We grow in grace, this increase of love and kindness and patience and gentleness, by intentionally thinking upon the lovely things of God. We fight worldliness and enjoy the peace of God together by thinking of and reminding one another of the lovely things of God.
Heavenly Father, in our war against worldliness and the threats to our minds and hearts, we pray now for wisdom from above for our minds to dwell upon Your beauty and truth. The evil one threatens us with devices to pull our minds from the lovely things found in Your Word. Guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We praise You and are comforted by the truth that Your peace which surpasses understanding guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. In whose name we pray. Amen.
