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Philippians 4:8

THINKING ABOUT THINKING

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Any thinking will do. Or at least any thinking is better than not thinking. Winnie the Pooh, one of the great thinkers of our time, said, “Did you ever stop to think and forget to start again?” I am not sure what I think about that, but as we consider the instruction of Philippians 4:8, I want to believe that any amount of time spent “thinking on these things” can be healing, strengthening, mind and heart centering, moments.

Can our thinking, however, be more than just a passing thought? What are the elements and attitudes of Christian meditation, or Christian critical thinking? Let me offer some thoughts about thinking. When we sincerely pray Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer,” the inference is that we intend to speak and meditate. The inference is that speaking and meditating are a common and regular part of our lives. Also inferred is that we care greatly about speaking and meditating that pleases and honors our Lord.

Think about the elements and attitudes of good and productive thinking which we pray will be acceptable in the sight of God. Here are a few. Christian meditation is sincere, creative, note-taking, analytical, focused, hungry, time-ignoring, Word of God informed, Holy Spirit yielded, Christ loving thinking. It is sincere because we earnestly and honestly want our thoughts to please our Father. It is creative because we are open to new ideas and visions inspired by God’s Word and His Holy Spirit. It is note-taking because we cherish every idea and revelation God gives while we meditate and want to preserve them for further discovery. It is analytical because we pose questions and search for answers. It is focused because our attention to our meditation is undivided. It is hungry because we are starved for God’s truth and wisdom. And, it is time-ignoring because we are not allowing time to limit what can be learned.

The last three elements of Christian meditation should need no explanation. Meaningful and fruitful Christian meditation must come from a life that is informed by God’s Word, is yielded to the Holy Spirit, loves and is devoted to our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. The first seven elements of Christian meditation can come and go, wain and grow, ebb and flow. The last three are indispensable. There is in fact an expectation of meditation to achieve the last element. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).

CONTEMPLATING RIGHTEOUSNESS

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Our Christian life should be lived with some eagerness to please our Lord; some fervor and zeal. That eagerness and fervor should be accompanied by some intentional activity. Titus 2:14 says we should be “looking forward for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (NKJV). The New International Version translates those last words, “eager to do what is good.”

Following Paul’s instructions in Philippians 4:8 provides us one intentional activity to inform and encourage our “eagerness to do what is good.”  Paul implores us to think about these things: whatever things are true . . . noble . . . just . . . pure . . . lovely . . . of good report . . . and any virtue . . . and anything praiseworthy.

In my September 23rd blog, titled “Context Matters”, I suggested that Philippians 4:8 is an exercise involving these aspects of the Christian life:

  • Practicing contentment
  • Practicing gratefulness
  • Counting our blessings
  • Honing our core values
  • Contemplating righteousness
  • Anticipating eternity

Contemplating righteousness is that 5th aspect in the list. How often do we thoughtfully and keenly consider what is good, right, and righteous? If we do not ever take time to have deep thoughts about what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report and praiseworthy, how can we honestly profess to being “eager to do what is good?” Vance Havner, a well-known 20th century preacher, said, “It is high time we learned that in this nerve-wrecking, maddening modern rush, we have let the spirit of the times rob us utterly of meditation, devotion, rest, the passive side of our Christian experience without which we cannot be truly active to the glory of God.”

Havner’s words are even more needed for Christians in this 21st century. We must not let the day rob us of private devotion, contemplation, and meditation. When we do, our Christian action, attitude and commitment to do what is good, suffers. Our Lord Jesus commanded, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).” We stoke the fires of fervor and zeal to do good when we engage our hearts and minds in contemplating righteousness.

From the privacy of our prayer rooms, where God’s Spirit and Word lead us to understand what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report and praiseworthy, the Christian emerges with a brighter light. We step out into a world that needs to see God at work in the lives of his followers, doing what we have contemplated in private, “eager to do what is good.”