FOCUS ON PRECIOUS PERCEPTIONS
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think on these things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me,
put it into practice. And the God of peaceG1515 will be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9
In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul exhorts the reader that instead of being anxious or fretting, the believer needs to turn their concerns over to the Lord in prayer with thanksgiving in order to have that peace of mind that most people will never understand. The only way to experience this type of peace is to trust in Christ as Savior and rest in the truth that God is in control. Christ is our peace. Paul continues this theme of how to replace anxiety and worry with peace in verses 8 and 9. We must change our thinking. Often our thought patterns dwell on the bad news of the day, the difficulties we have encountered, the day-to-day struggles we all face. However, we can change our mindset by placing those thoughts at the foot of the cross and leaving them there. But the next step is to replace the “stinking thinking” with “precious perceptions.” We are to think on things that are:
- True – God’s Word
- Honorable – Good deeds, kindness, noble deeds
- Right – Justice, fairness
- Pure – Untarnished, undefiled, clean
- Lovely – Beautiful, caring, gracious
- Admirable – Authenticity, tenacity, consistency
- Excellent – Skilled, expert, achieving high standards
- Praiseworthy – Good, strong work ethic, accountability
Then, Paul encourages them to remember what he has taught them and what they have seen him do and emulate him, follow his example. The way he lived his life out before them was an example of following and obeying Jesus. We may not have Paul with us in person, but we have his letters. However, we have Christian examples that we would do good to imitate. Susan and I have often complained that we got a late start in ministry together since she was 48 and I was 58 when we first began working together; but God has placed examples in our lives to show us that He is not through with us. We have a “coach”—spiritual mentor—who is 94 years young! We have a dear sister in the Lord who is the picture of hospitality and generosity who is in her eighties! We need to focus on the positive and live for Christ, really LIVE until the day He calls us home!
How is your thought life? Do you dwell on dread, or do you focus on finishing well? Do you fill your mind with all the bad news, or do you purposefully ponder truth, beauty, love, kindness, etc.? We need to make a practice of pondering the positive! We will be much more inclined to relax in the peace God provides when we change our thinking to be in line with His.
Father, help us daily to take Your prescription for peace by placing our cares on You and focusing our mind on the best things rather than the worst.
Worship along with the Gaither Vocal Band singing “Everything Good”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJu7rOv-c8M