“...if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
I find so many beautiful things to photograph in nature. Flowers, butterflies, birds, sunrises and sunsets, landscapes, wildlife… The list is endless. There is beauty to be found everywhere; you just have to look for it. And have your camera handy.
There is something inherently beautiful about, well, beauty. I think our hearts are wired to appreciate and pursue beautiful things. And it starts by looking for beauty. Keeping our eyes open, ready to encounter goodness and beauty.
The same principle applies to our spiritual life. Our hearts are naturally stirred by good and praiseworthy things. But we have to be intentional about seeking such things. A joyful, godly life is something that we have to cultivate intentionally. That’s why Paul ends his letter to the church in Philippi with this exhortation:
“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
(Philippians 4:8)
People often say things like, “Think happy thoughts.” And it’s not just a trite saying. I think it’s based on a real principle that our hearts follow our thoughts. Happy thoughts exercise our happy muscles (No, silly, we don’t really have “happy muscles” – it’s just a metaphor). People who think happy thoughts become happier people. Or, to put it another way, to be a happy person requires the intentional cultivation of happiness.
I don’t know of anybody who, deep down in their being, doesn’t want to be someone who is honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy. Those traits are something that everyone appreciates, because those traits are part of the image of God with which God endows every human being. But being that kind of person doesn’t just happen. It starts by focusing our thoughts, which will then orient our hearts.
A little nerdy lesson in New Testament Greek: Verbs in the present tense usually have a sense of continuous action. So when Paul says for us to “think about these things,” what he is saying is “think about these things, and keep on thinking about these things. Don’t stop thinking about these things. Not ever.”
And when we do that – when we think about honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy things – then our hearts follow our thoughts. And we become all of those things.
How can we change the direction of the negative and divisive world in which we live?
Well, what do you think?
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