Mind the Storehouse of your Mind.  Philippians 4.8

Paul was just published in the ladies’ magazine, Good Housekeeping, did you see it?  In a section about prayers to refresh your life, Paul made the cut with Philippians 4.8.  ‘Funny thing is, I had never thought of the verse as a prayer, but rather as a benchmark for excellence in our thinking. 

“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.”

The ‘finally, brothers’, is because Paul is winding down his letter to his Christian brothers in Philippi, remember?  He has just told them in the preceding verses not to worry, but to pray—to take everything to God in prayer, and then God will give the blessing of peace that cannot be experienced by unbelievers . . . a peace that defies logic. And now Paul tells them to mind the storehouses of their thought lives. 

Our minds set themselves on something, have you noticed?  So we are wise to consider that to which our minds are given.  To what does your mind drift?  We are to govern our thoughts.  This anonymous little piece is a great reminder for me: “Sow a thought, and you reap an act; sow an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit, and you reap a character; sow a character, and you reap a destiny.”  So… it seems that character is formed by making choices in one direction—thinkly rightly again and again. 

To be a good thinker requires a couple things: first desire and then discipline.  Good thinking does not just happen.  Good thinking happens by intention.  It happens by exposing ourselves to good, right and true thinking … or what did Paul say?  ‘Think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable’—those things which have their source in the Creator.   Become a student of that which is lovely and noble, that which is pure and excellent—enjoy, delight, learn and share those things with others.

I had a birthday last week, and my dear friend gave me the new biography Bonhoeffer: pastor, martyr, prophet, spy because she knows me well.  Though it is 544 pages long, I am going to be sad when it is finished because it is so rich with the beauty of artistic, academic and theological learning and writing—that were part of this remarkable young man’s life (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) in WWII Germany . . . good books are a great way to think new, rich thoughts!  (I am just 95 pages in thus far)

Endeavoring to think God’s thoughts after him is perhaps the highest form of thinking to which man might aspire.  Meditate on just what that might mean.

Sifting our thoughts, as to whether or not they are pleasing to God, is a most worthy endeavor indeed.  ‘Search me, O God, and know my thoughts,’ the Psalmist said, in Psalm 139.  And ‘May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart [thoughts] be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.’  Psalm 19.14.

Friends, you and I are the gatekeepers of our thoughts, which is why we must exercise great wisdom about what we let into our minds in the first place taking care about what we read, listen to, watch or whatever … When I was a very little girl, I used to sing the song at Sunday school, “O be careful little eyes what you see …’ and then, ‘little ears what you hear … for the Father up above is looking down with love, so be careful little eyes what you see…’ There are times when we need to say, “Enough! I am not watching that anymore!  I am not reading that author any more; her writing fills me with negativity, or that kind of music takes me places my mind should not go . . .”

Paul had it right-whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable—let’s fix our thoughts on those things.

Grace and Peace,

Christine