Dwelling on What's Pure and Lovely

Philippians 4:8 gives us clear instructions on what we are to allow our minds to dwell on. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

We are to dwell on whatever is pure—undefiled, unstained, not mixed with sin. What kind of input are we filling our minds with? What are we watching? Listening to? Reading? Talking about? What do we think about when no one else is around? Is it pure?

When I set my mind on impure thoughts, I set my course for unrighteousness and immorality.



The next description of thinking that is pleasing to God is lovely. I used to be confused about this word. Does this mean I am supposed to think about something lovely, like a beautiful sunset? I later learned more about this term. We are to think about things that are pleasing, sweet, gracious, generous. Literally, the term means towards love. The basic idea when applied to thinking is a thought which is toward love, planning or concentration which will bring about a loving act.

This is the kind of thinking we are exhorted to in Hebrews 10:24--And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.

What can I think, do, or say, that will show love to someone else? How can God use me to minister to someone else? How can I encourage others to love and good deeds? This kind of thinking switches the focus from self to loving and serving God and others.

Relationships can be challenging because imperfect people are interacting with other imperfect people. Do you dwell on the strengths of others, or their weaknesses? Do you thank God for the people He has placed in your life? Do we tell others things we appreciate about them, or do we more often complain and nag? Do we make ourselves easy for others to love?

When set my mind on unlovely thoughts, I set my course for discouragement, self-centeredness, and loneliness.

Dwelling on what's Honorable and Right

Continuing in our series on Set Your Mind, Set Your Course, we are now looking at Philippians 4:8--Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. Today we will look at the terms honorable and right.

Honorable refers to that which is noble, worthy of respect, dignified, lofty; that which inspires awe, majesty, seriousness. Here I need to focus on the important rather than the trivial. I can determine what’s important by determining what is precious to God.

1 Peter 3:3-4--And let not your adornment be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

So what do I spend more time thinking about—How I look or what I’m going to wear, or maybe how my home looks, or how my kids look—or on developing a gentle and quiet spirit. Am I more focused on the outside or the inside?

When I set my mind on the trivial, I set my course for superficiality and stunted spiritual growth.

What are some other ways we focus on the trivial or superficial, rather than what's honorable?

The next attribute is right—what is upright, just, fair, not prejudiced. I have to acknowledge that God determines what is fair, not me. I have to remember that my thinking is naturally skewed toward me. Without even trying, I am prejudiced toward myself. Instead, I need to think what is just and fair.

Romans 12:3--For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

I really like this verse because it doesn’t pull any punches. It reminds me that am I likely to think too highly of myself, but that isn’t sound thinking. It isn’t right thinking.

I do most of the shopping in my family. And I usually have particular areas where I park. Occasionally, I will go to one of my normal places with my husband or son, who is driving. He doesn’t always park where I park. My immediate thought is, “He’s parking in the wrong place!” That’s not right thinking. My way is not the right way, not even necessarily a better way, it’s just a different way.

Too many times our thoughts are on pleasing others rather than pleasing God. We think about what others are thinking about us rather than on whether what we are doing is right. In fact, sometimes we are unwilling to say or do what we know to be the right thing becasue we are afraid someone won't respond favorably. We must focus on right thinking which will lead to right words and right actions.

When I set my mind on thinking that isn’t right, I set my course for pride, selfishness, fear, and lack of true love.

What are some other ways we display prejudiced or unfair thinking?

Dwelling on What's True

Philippians 4:8 instructs us to let our minds dwell on things that are true. This word can be used in two different aspects: real as opposed to fake or imaginary, and true as opposed to false

Have you ever stopped and thought about how much time you spend thinking about things that aren’t even real?

My son’s first job was working at McDonald’s. His first real night on the job was a Friday, he was to work from 5 until close, and McDonald’s closed at midnight. I woke up at 1:30 and my son wasn’t home! Believe me, my emotions and thoughts wanted to run wild. There’s been an accident! He’s in trouble! My mind was eager to go down a path of imagined possibilities, but I had to focus on what was true. God was in control. God loved my son, He loved me, and His plan for us was perfect. As it turned out, it was the night they moved and cleaned all the equipment in the kitchen, so my son didn’t get home until almost 3:00, but I was able to experience the peace of God by focusing on the real as opposed to the imaginary.

Women seem to excel at thinking about what others are thinking. We do this in a variety of ways--judging motives, quickly taking offense, being suspicious, wondering if a particular person likes us, etc.

When we set our mind on the imaginary, we set our course for worry and fear.

The second meaning of this verse is true as opposed to false. And where do we find the truth?—God’s Word. What influences our thinking more—the ideas of our culture, our own emotions or perceptions, or the truth of God’s Word?

Sometimes I might think—I just can’t take it anymore. You can define the “it” anyway you like—maybe trouble in a relationship, maybe health problems, maybe financial difficulties, maybe an area of sin where I continually struggle. That’s my feeling, my perception. But what is true?

1 Corinthians 10:13--No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.

Philippians 4:13--I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

When I am tempted to think this way, I am thinking what is false. Thinking what is true means that I can be confident that God will faithfully help me to endure my difficulty. I am not all alone in my struggle, I am not unique in my struggle, and I can endure anything that the Lord sends my way when I am dependent on Him and relying on His strength.

When I set my mind on what is false, even though my culture, or emotions, or perceptions is telling me it’s true, I have set my course for discouragement, and hopelessness.

What ways do you see people dwelling on the false rather than the true?

Let your Mind Dwell on these Things

Last time we looked at the PRIORITY of the mind. We must set our minds on the eternal, the spiritual, thoughts that focus on our great and awesome God.

But we do live in this world. We must daily deal with the issues of this life, and the people in our lives. We want to put the PRIORITY of our thinking into practice on a regular basis. God’s Word gives us a PATTERN for our thinking that can drive all of our thoughts along a path that glorifies God.

Philippians 4:8--Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

John MacArthur says, “The phrase dwell on these things introduces an important truth: spiritual stability is a result of how a person thinks. The imperative form…makes it a command; proper thinking is not optional in the Christian life.”

My husband calls this verse a leash law for the mind. We have a puppy at our house, and he is now big enough to go on walks. Without a leash, he would constantly be sniffing all kinds of nasty stuff, and dangerously running into the street. He needs a leash to keep on the right course. So do we, a mental leash. When we set our minds on the qualities in this verse, then we set our course on a path that is pleasing to God.

This verse is not a suggestion, but a command. God wants our minds to dwell on these things. This verse also gives us a measuring stick, or a filter, to examine our thinking. Over the next several days we will look at these qualities one by one.

The Priority of the Mind

Last post we talked about the POWER of the mind. Whatever we think about will direct the course of our life. Today lets look at what is to be the PRIORITY of our mind. A number of verses give us the answer.

Colossians 3:1-2--If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. The PRIORITY of our mind is to be the heavenly, the eternal.
We are to keep seeking, and set our mind, both present tense verbs. This is to be our continual pursuit.

In his commentary on Colossians, John MacArthur says, “To be preoccupied with heaven is to be preoccupied with the One who reigns there and His purposes, plans, provisions, and power. It is also to view the things, people, and events of this world through His eyes and with an eternal perspective.”

This year for the first time I got a passport. When you become a believer, you get a new passport, so to speak. You are now a citizen of heaven, as it says in Philippians 3:20. Peter reminds us we are aliens and strangers in this world. Our thoughts must be consistent with these realities.

This same idea is reflected in Romans 12:2--And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. We are not to think as the world thinks. We are to renew our minds. Notice the key role the mind plays in keeping us from being conformed to this world.

2 Corinthians 10:5--We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ
The preceding verses speak of the spiritual battle we are involved in. A fierce battle rages for our minds, and we need to fight against our flesh and the tendency to think like the world, and take our thoughts captive. How many of our thoughts? Every single one.

I love the imagery in 1 Peter 1:13--Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
In that culture, the dress was commonly loose and flowing. This didn’t work very well when it was time for action. They would gather their robes and tuck them into their belts, and then they were ready. We need to do that with our thoughts—tie up all the loose ends of our thinking and tuck them in. And to what end? That we might fix our hope on future grace—again focusing on the spiritual, the eternal. This must be the PRIORITY of our minds.

So, how exactly do we do this? Where are we going to find out about God and His purposes, plans, provisions, and power? In God's Word.

We must saturate our minds with Scripture. In the Bible God reveals Himself to us; in it we can learn about the things that are important to Him. We must be in His Word daily on a personal basis, we must regularly expose ourselves to the teaching of His Word.

We must meditate on God’s Word; like a cow chews its cud, we must ruminate on truth. We want to contemplate the character of God—how great and glorious He is. I’ve started taking Bible verses on cards with me when I walk, so I can meditate on truth, set my mind on things above as I exercise.

Bible memorization can be helpful as well. When we have a verse or passage memorized, it is ours to reflect upon whenever and wherever we may be.

Good Christian music can be another tool to turn our thoughts to God. We can be listening while we are busy with tasks around the house, and often the words and melody linger in our minds, helping us set our minds on the spiritual and eternal. My favorite music website is godsongmusic.com--check it out!

Sometimes we need a framework to help us in our spiritual thinking. One thing that I use to keep my thoughts on track is the alphabet—perhaps when I’m driving, or up at night unable to sleep.

I can meditate on the character of God
A--He is Awesome
B--He is Bountiful
C--He is Compassionate, and so on.

I can think of a key word from a Bible verse or a song.
A—All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
B—Blessed are the poor in spirit
C—Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you
Or
A—Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
B-Blessed be the Lord God Almighty, who reigns forevermore.
C—O come let us adore Him

When I do this, I wouldn’t go this fast, I would take time and reflect upon each attribute, each verse, each song.

What have you found that helps you focus your thinking on God, to set your mind on things above?

Set Your Mind, Set your Course

Last night we started a new season of Titus Two Fellowships at our church. Women meet at a number of homes throughout the greater LA area. I have been blessed as I have studied for this, and hope to encourage others through what I have learned.

In our culture we use the word mind in many ways. It may refer to intellect—She has a really sharp mind. It may refer to determination—If you set your mind to it, you can do anything. It may refer to an issue of the will, or a decision—will you make up your mind?

In the language of our day, we definitely draw a distinction between mind and heart. We think with our minds, and feel with our hearts. In the Bible, however, these words are often used almost synonymously. In fact there are several words in the Hebrew and the Greek that are sometimes translated as mind, and sometimes as heart. The Biblical mind encompasses not just our thinking, but also our will, our affections, our choices, our desires.

One thing that stood out from my study is the POWER of the mind. What we think about has a more powerful influence on us than we might realize.

Even the secular world understands this. Mahatma Gandhi said, "A man is but the product of his thoughts." Ralph Waldo Emerson warned, "Beware of what you set your mind on, for that you will surely become."

While these men might recognize the POWER of the mind, it is from God’s Word that we want to gain understanding. The Bible has much to say on this topic. There are over 1000 biblical references to mind, thought, or heart.

Proverbs 23:7a--For as he thinks in himself, so is he. My thinking determines the kind of woman I am.

Proverbs 4:23--Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.
Here I am warned to diligently watch over my heart and mind, for my entire life flows from it. I need to be careful about what I watch, what I read, what I listen to.

Luke 6:45--The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. What is filling my mind and heart will come out in my words.

Matthew 15:19--For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. What is filling my mind and heart will come out in my actions.

So Set your Mind, Set your Course is more than just a clever title for a Titus Two. It is a reality. Whatever predominantly occupies my mind will determine the person I am and the course I take, whether I want it to or not.

We have seen the POWER of the mind. What are we to do with all this power? What are we to think about? We'll talk about that next time!