Hold That Thought! Whatsoever is Winsome…

Hold That Thought! Whatsoever is Winsome… 

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is TRUE, whatever is HONORABLE, whatever is RIGHTEOUS, whatever is PURE, whatever is WINSOME, whatever is ADMIRABLE, if there is any MORAL EXCELLENCE, if there is anything PRAISEWORTHY… dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8).

Dwell – (Greek, “logizesthe”): an accounting term that literally means to carefully use your reason as you take full account of something; to thoughtfully evaluate something in a sensible way as you consider the worth of something; to calculate with focus and discernment; to personally measure what counts in the eyes of God. In this passage, to dwell on these worthwhile realities is to fix your mind on them, to meditate on them, to fill your mind with them, to focus deeply on them. To dwell on these heavenly realities is to dwell within them, to find a home inside these godly attributes, to think about these things to the extent that you are living into them. To dwell upon these things also means that your mind is creating a home for them to reside deep within you. To dwell upon is to allow these spiritual realities to become a part of your life, dwelling in you and shaping you. These virtues are not merely “passing fancies” or temporary mental events, but are fixed in your mind to the extent that they become a part of your character. The root word for “logizesthe” is the rich, meaningful Greek word “logos.” So, to dwell on these aspects of divine goodness means we are to become “logos-like” in the life of the mind, to think and reason like the heavenly Logos. To be logos-like is to truly use the mind of Logos-Christ which has been given to us. To be logos-like is to actively participate in the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:1-2) within by filling it with that which fills the mind of Christ Himself. To be logos-like is to continue daily the holy process of thinking deeply about those realities that are pleasing to God and would keep drawing us into a personal relationship with Him. Naturally, to choose to dwell on these life-giving realities implies that at the same time we are rejecting those thoughts that are unhealthy, destructive, and unworthy of God’s presence in our lives.

Interesting Thoughts about Thoughts:

(1.) I am what I think. I become what I choose to think about. My character is shaped by the life of my mind. My attitudes are built on the foundations of my thoughts. My lifestyle is determined by whatever I fill my mind with. My destiny begins with my thought life.

(2.) According to the latest brain imaging studies (2022), we each have about 6,200 different thoughts a day. They are called “thought worms” and are distinct, measurable shifts in brain activity that represent the transition from one idea or image to another.

(3.) We each can rewire our brains by how we think. It’s called “cognitive reframing,” based on the plasticity of our brains that are able to build new neural pathways by choosing to think differently. We each have the ability to train our minds to identify harmful thoughts, replace them with life-giving thoughts, and then practice those healthier thoughts through repetition until those new thoughts become a mental habit.

(4.) When dwelling on thoughts like what St. Paul suggested above, we are making new neural pathways that become dominant and succeed in rewiring the brain to have the ability to naturally filter out harmful thoughts and welcome life-giving thoughts.

(5.) When we are “in Christ,” we are inviting God’s Holy Spirit to renew our minds and enable us to rewire our brains, our ways of thinking, which determine our attitudes, behaviors and feelings. Each person hs the ability to do a lot of the legwork in this process, but only the Spirit of God can do the heavy lifting and enable us to think with the “mind of Christ.”

(6.) In this sinful world, harmful thoughts assault us every day, and there’s not much we can do about that. But we can try to keep them at a minimum by not entertaining these thoughts, by not welcoming them into our minds in such a way that we dwell on them and fill our minds with them. As Martin Luther once said about temptations… “We can’t stop the birds from flying overhead, but we can stop them from building a nest in our hair.” 

Winsome: (Greek, “prosphiles”): The word literally means “extending toward love“, and this is the only time the word is used in the New Testament. Prosphiles is clearly a relationship word, and different versions interpret it to mean lovely, gracious, attractive. It primarily means concentrating on those thoughts that are lovable in the sense that they would draw us towards neighbor-love and brotherly/sisterly affection; that would attract us to fellowship and unity; that would inspire loving acts and care for one another. So Paul encourages us to fill our minds with thoughts that would foster Christian love and stimulate unifying thoughts within the Christian Church community. Instead of entertaining ugly thoughts that would sow division and hatred, Paul is teaching us the importance of fixing on lovely thoughts that would mold us into loving people. Dwell in those thoughts that would propel us to truly love “one another,” thoughts like these:

“Behold, how wonderful, how delightful it is for God’s people to dwell together in harmony!.. How good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in unity… Oh, how good and merry it is when brothers and sisters live together in peace.” (Psalm 133:1).

One Another. What does it look like to dwell in unity, to live together with harmony, to be a community anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit? It might be helpful to look at the “one anothers” in Scripture and find a glimpse of what it takes to live in harmony. With the transforming power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can indeed enjoy a life together that reflects the eternal Kingdom of God, a community that has a heart for one another.

1. Forgive One Another. “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in the Anointed One has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32). Forgiveness is… to let an offense go, to no longer hold an offense against someone, without bringing it up again; to decide to put a wrong done to you on the back shelf and move on; to give up the right to justly punish someone in your heart; to send away from your spirit the right to hold a grudge, or keep score, or seek revenge, or stand in ultimate judgment of a person who has offended you; to release God’s grace to go to work in an offender as well as in you the offended one; to freely pardon someone’s offense and thereby create a space in the heart of both parties for the Holy Spirit to do His transforming work; to embrace the divine process whereby forgiveness of others is how we live into God’s forgiveness of us; to work out and put into action God’s forgiveness of us by our forgiveness of others; to generously demonstrate an act of merciful lovingkindness that cancels the penalties of the wrongs done to us. “If one of you has a complaint against another, forgive each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.” (Colossians 3:13).
2. Harmonize with One Another. “Live in harmony with one another.” (Romans 12:16, NIV). When separate parts intentionally combine into a beautiful whole; to reconcile apparent differences into a combined unity; to adjust in order to fit together; to be of the same mind; to unite in the same direction in will, affection and conscience; to join together in unity of spirit and purpose, with one heart and one passion; to be agreeable and get along; mutual understanding.
3. Bear One Another’s Burdens: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens…  Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way fulfill the teaching of Christ.” ( 68:19; Galatians 6:2). To lift up and carry; to take up and walk with; to intercede for someone else, whether through prayer or caregiving, whether tangible or intangible; to relieve someone of something that weighs heavily on them.
4. Build Up One Another: “Edify one another, just as you have already been doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). To edify; to strengthen; to empower; to affirm certain qualities; to help someone or a group to grow to maturity; to construct a building, an edifice, of faith and character in another person or group.
5. Warn One Another: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom.” (Colossians 3:16). To admonish; to caution; to place into someone’s awareness; to reprove gently; to call attention to; to alert another person’s thinking; to offer sound advice and guidance.
6. Encourage One Another: “Let us encourage one another.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). To “paraclete” each other: Called to come alongside someone in need, in order to help and bear burdens by Pointing to God, Advising, Reminding, Advocating for, Comforting, Listening, Exhorting, Teaching and Encourage. That is the helping style, the method of influence that is intended for the benefit of every person being empowered by the Spirit. One Bible translator summed all these qualities up by simply naming the paraclete “Friend,” each believer’s intimate, supportive presence who befriends us on life’s journey.
7. Restore One Another: “If someone in the fellowship is overtaken by some sin or mistake, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.” (Galatians 6:1). To set right; to repair; to refit; to mend; to rejoin; to bring back to its original state; to heal.
8. Honor One Another: “Take delight in honoring each other.” (Romans 12:10). To show deference to; to prefer over one’s self; to highly esteem; to greatly respect; to revere; to focus on the importance of another.
9. Bear With One Another: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2). To put up with; to make allowances for; to willingly endure; forbearance; to tolerate; to have patience with; to accept someone despite their weaknesses.
10. Exhort One Another: “If your gift is to come alongside others to exhort them, then give yourself to exhortation.” (Romans 12:8). To urge to continue in the Faith; to beseech in strong terms; to come alongside to offer encouraging guidance; to inspire courage and hope; to call upon someone to act; to give affirming words that strengthens others.
11. Confess to One Another: “Confess your sins to each other.” (James 5:16). To acknowledge openly; to freely admit to wrongdoing; to announce one’s guilt; to concede one’s shortcomings; to repent of sins; to agree with God that one’s sin is a sin.
12. Wash One Another’s Feet: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14-15). A simple act of hospitality; a house servant’s task; involves placing someone else’s dirty, smelly feet into a bowl of water and carefully using one’s hands to cleanse those feet of all dirt, grime and sweat, and then drying the feet with a clean towel; a common, menial act of service and humility; exercising the ministry of touch to the untouchable; the powerful sacrament of servanthood.
13. Love One another. “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Agape-Love each other. Just as I have agape-loved you, you should agape-love each other.” (John 13:34-35). Summing up all the one anothers, Agape love is the supreme of all the loves, and desires the highest good of someone else. Agape is “the highest level of love known to humanity,” (C. S. Lewis), and thus can only come from above with God as its source. Agape love is the ultimate expression of God’s nature, the essence of His character (see Exodus 34). Agape love is not Eros, which is romantic love. It is not Phileo, which is brotherly love. It is not Storge, which is family love. Agape love is the divine love that can only come to us from the heart of God. Agape love is the love shared between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is truly the source of all these other loves, but it is only agape love that is poured into our hearts from the Holy Spirit, to those who believe in Christ. Agape love is an eternal virtue outlasting all the other virtues (1 Corinthians 13:8). Agape love is the primary fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) Agape love, the sacred love of God, is universal, it is a gift, it is highly active, it is sacrificial, and it is unconditional.