Think About It

Philippians 4:8
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.

Devotion
This is a wonderful, well known verse about right thinking. I’ve read it a bunch of times and it is hard to deny the benefits of thinking this way. What’s hard about verses like this in the Bible is the application.

Just think back on yesterday. What was going through your head? Did you talk to a friend who needed help, again, and you questioned their motives? Maybe you watched the news and wondered how other people (not you) could be so wrong all the time. Or maybe you started watching a movie that you knew wasn’t going to be good for you but you decided to stick it out to “see how it ends”.

I’ve done all of those and usually regretted it afterwards but sometimes it starts to feel normal and I don’t even realize that I have let a cynical, negative, ugly, thought process take over my mind. When I let that happen, I usually get depressed and can take others down with me.

But Paul is telling us to think about what we are thinking about. Get our minds straight. He tells us in 2 Col 10:5 “to take every thought captive”. What Paul knew was that what we think about and entertain, we eventually act on. If we want to act pure, right, and admirably, we need to begin by thinking that way. So we need to check our thoughts. When we have these cynical, ugly, impure thoughts, we need to tell ourselves that they are not from God and replace them with positive thoughts. How else can we love our enemies if we can’t start by thinking some good thoughts about them.

So consider keeping watch today over your thoughts. When those negative thoughts creep in, tell them to leave. Tell your mind to think on good and positive things. Then think of one thing you are grateful for. That can help you break free and to think on all the true, noble, excellent things of God around us.

Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for helping us live the best life we can live with your help. Please be with us today and every day protecting our minds from those things that are not of you.

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