Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.
Dwelling on the negatives in life leads to anger, sadness, envy and other negative emotions. But dwelling on and focusing on the kinds of things Paul describes (beautiful things) will bring us closer to God. I am certain this does not mean we are to ignore or turn away from trials or sadness when we are able to help or to give comfort. We can't ignore the pain that is in the world. But we don't need to marinate in it, either. This is such an important lesson for me, and one which I am learning, but I know takes practice.
Father God, you have provided us with such beauty, and the ability to appreciate it. Help me to live in the beauty, without ignoring the needs of others. Amen
Becky, transforming
Philippians 4:8
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.
So many times my thoughts have affected my attitude. God tells us to do things for our own good because he wants us to be happy (his way) Paul presents a list of the thoughts we need to focus on(Philippians4:8)
Because God does not want us to think about the things we are thinking about we need to know what we should be thinking about . I am learning when these negative thoughts begin to appear, I can quickly kick Satan t…
Philippians 4:8 Thank goodness for transformers. To start each day reading God’s word often sets the tone for my day. In this crazy world that we are in right now, it would be easy to fall into the trap of bad, sad, false, and ugly thoughts. Paul reminds us not to do that. Perhaps Philippians 4:8 should be read first thing every morning. Prayer: gracious God, thank you for this reminder to put your beautiful words first in our minds. Amen
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, 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 beauty of faith is always thinking about Jesus and what He has done for us. At times I can’t control my thoughts about certain things. When this happens, I try to think of Jesus and ask for his help. Jesus has given me all I need in this life. Being in touch with Jesus is a conscious choice when I am faced with problems and difficulties that arise in my life. Attempting to keep my focus on Jesus and follow in his footsteps is my life’s goal.
Philippians 4:8 Finally brothers and sisters, 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.
These are all beautiful feeling. What struck me was the thought that if we spent our time thinking about such things, what a peaceful, beautiful life we would have.
Dear Jesus, the bible can show us how to live a perfect life, but we can never achieve it while living in this world. Help us to improve what we have by following your teachings. Amen.
Philippians 4:8
I hope my technical struggle with this site is over and this post will go through. I apologize for my absence this week. Paul’s exhortation to focus on positive and uplifting virtues has tremendous relevance in today’s contentious, divided and often negative world. The calming influence of this practice produces a ripple effect that makea for a much more pleasant environment and relationships with other people. Is this not the essence of beauty?
Prayer - Gracious God, allow me to keep my mind focused on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. May this mindset be especially prominent when faced with negative situations and people. Amen
TAA