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January 26, 2010
Philippians 4:8

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:8 (NLT)


There was a country song written a little while back that started, "Yes, I admit I've got a thinkin' problem..." That's not just a great opening line, it could probably apply to a large percentage of us as Christ-followers.
If we were to really get down to the root cause of many of the nasty situations we're in, we would most likely discover that the problem is between our ears. Our thinking. You know, it might seem like we're just "along for the ride" when it comes to what we think. BUT, the apostle Paul tells us that we can actually intentionally THINK about specific things.

This verse has been one of my favorites for quite a while. I call it the "thinking filter" verse. I memorized it when I was a kid but it wasn't until about 10 years ago, that I really began to use this verse practically to change my thinking. I began to actually use this verse to "filter" my thoughts. The language that I memorized this verse in says this: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (my emphasis).

Sometimes when I'm having a bad attitude, or I feel discouraged or sorry for myself, God will bring this verse to my mind, and I'll say something like, "Oh, ok, I'll run it through the thinking filter." So, for me to remember this verse I use a little memory device: I remember THe JeeP LuG VP. (See the capital letters? Pretty great, huh?)

So, first, I'll ask myself, "Is what I'm thinking TRUE?" This simple question can cut off just about all the wrong thoughts I have, because oftentimes I'm just thinking about what COULD happen or judging other people's motives. It's not truth, it's conjecture.

Next, I ask, "Is what I'm thinking HONEST?" In other words, am I really thinking objectively about this or am I injecting my own personal slant?

Third, "Is what I'm thinking PURE?" Now this could obviously apply to immoral thoughts, but I think it has a greater implication and really ties in with the next question, "Is what I'm thinking LOVELY?" It comes down to a question of the quality of my thoughts. This is a huge one, because sometimes I can think truth, and even objective truth, but when I step back and analyze if I'm thinking in ways that make God smile, I stand convicted.

Let's go on. "Is what I'm thinking of GOOD REPORT?" Now this is one where old-fashioned language gets in the way. Here's a better way to ask the question: "Is what I'm thinking right now good enough that I would want people to hear those thoughts and want them to share with others?" Pretty interesting.

Then, if by some small chance, any poor quality thoughts have ventured through the filter, we have the final two questions to weed them out: "Is what I'm thinking right now full of VIRTUE and PRAISE?" Or as, the NLT puts it, "...excellent and worthy of praise". If what I'm thinking right now doesn't cause me to praise God, then I can discard it.

So, how do you know when to use this filter? It's simple. Anytime you feel like you're discouraged, or worried, or sad, or angry, or jealous, or frustrated, or grumpy, or... you get the idea.

A Thankful Thought


This may sound a little cryptic, but I am thankful for the truth. Really. The truth never changes. It is what it is and no amount of fancy words or shading can change it. On a broad scale, this means that I can depend on the truth always being the same, regardless of my circumstances or how I feel emotionally. Jesus always told the truth, lived truthfully, and even his name is faithful and true. The gospel of John is full of references to this. In a world where everything is changing at a breakneck pace, Jesus, the very Son of the one true God, stays in one place! In John 14:6, he said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Now that's something I can depend on and I'm full of thankfulness about it!

A NewSpring Staff Member


Your Comments

1

Barbara Koehn | January 26, 2010 at 01.17 pm

Just heard this devotional existed and I love it. Thank you for your hard work.

Missionaries in Santiago, Chile and sent out of NewSpring Church (Messiah Baptist Church 1978)


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