Hold Those Thoughts! Summing It Up with Praiseworthy Thinking…
Hold Those Thoughts! Summing It Up with Praiseworthy Thinking…
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is TRUE, whatever is HONORABLE, whatever is RIGHTEOUS, whatever is PURE, whatever is WINSOME, whatever is COMMENDABLE, 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 has 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.”
Praiseworthy: (Greek, “Epainos”): It appears that St. Paul decided to sum up his teaching in this verse about the life of the mind with an umbrella term that would include all the qualities he has mentioned so far. Do we want to know what thoughts are worthy of praise, what ideas deserve hearty applause in our minds, which qualities should be celebrated and held high in our thinking?? Then let’s review all these commendable thoughts that should rightly fill our minds and go far in shaping our character and destiny…
Fix the Mind on What is TRUE: (Greek, “alethese”). St. Paul is advising us to fill our minds with thoughts that are undeniably authentic and genuine. Fix our minds on ideas that square with reality and will thus remain standing even if everything else in the world falls part. Truth is the true Reality that upholds the world’s reality, and so truthful thoughts are the building blocks of creation and life itself. Concentrate on that which is true, since truth is that which can never be truly altered or changed. Feed your mind on thoughts that are universally trustworthy as facts of life, that prove to be the foundation of what is truly real in our life experience. Nourish the life of your mind on the plumblines which can measure the depth of our lives. Dwell on ideas that are common knowledge in God’s mind and line up with God’s perspectives as established facts, as opposed to a person’s changeable opinions or preferences. Meditate on what is true and so provide the solid ground on which we can walk, as opposed to the uncertain ground of deceit, illusion, disbelief or superstition. Allow the truth to provide your world view by learning to mindfully discern between the true and the false, the counterfeit and the real thing, the virtual and the genuine, the artificial and the authentic. Choose to think about the tangible fundamentals of existence that have been issued forth from the intangible mind of God. Focusing on what is true succeeds in nudging out of your mind what is untrue, even when those truths are discounted or disbelieved. Since the Almighty God is the ultimate source of all truth, then it follows that the ultimate presence of truth resides in the Trinity of Truth: Father God is Truth, the Lord Jesus is Truth, and the Holy Spirit is Truth. “All truth is God’s truth.”
Fix the Mind on What is HONORABLE: (Greek, “semnos“): Fill your mind with thoughts that are worthy of deep respect and honor; welcome into your thought life anyone or anything that is truly significant and worth your time and brain cells; mentally dwell in that which is noble, dignified, and worth serious consideration; meditate on that which is worth lifting up and has life-giving substance; elevate your thoughts on that which has spiritual girth and moral weight; hold onto those thoughts that have gravitas and legitimate importance. Don’t waste your time on thinking about something that is unseemly, trivial, or someone who is flippant and refuses to take life seriously. Why spend mental energy on something that is frivolous and doesn’t deserve our attention. Why spend the time of day on something that isn’t even respectable. Dwell on that which is worthy of our precious time on earth, something that has earned our deep respect and honor.
Fix the Mind on What is RIGHTEOUS/JUST: (Greek: “Dikaios“) = This word seems to combine both of the Hebrew ideas of saving justice and blameless righteousness, and so can be taken to mean both justice and righteousness. Dikaios can be translated as righteous, just, fair, blameless, innocent, upright; one who has a heart that is right with God, whose character and behavior squares with God’s expectations for us; one who is in right standing with the Lord; one who is living with complete integrity. And so St. Paul is advising us to fill our minds with those things that are in harmony with God’s standards. Welcome those ideas that follow His straight path and not the crooked ways of the world. Dwell on thoughts which are innocent and blameless. Meditate on what principles will further justice and fairness. Hang onto those thoughts that reveal life as it should be, as our Creator meant it to be. Think seriously about those images of uprightness that come to mind.
Fix the Mind on What is PURE: (Greek, “hagnos”) = Concentrate on that which is morally, physically, spiritually undefiled; free your mind from corruption in thought, word and action; seriously consider those ideas that are inwardly and outwardly clean and untainted with smudge or dirt; occupy your mind with thoughts that are blameless and have moral integrity; don’t get distracted with those attention-grabbers that slyly betray us with foolish ideas or warped untruths. Think carefully about when you might have divided loyalties or mixed motivations; dwell on those character qualities which are untainted and single-minded according to God’s standards; fill your mind with unblemished realities that will add innocence to your thought life; keep away from what appear to be minor “guilty pleasures” that are sold as being harmless. This word for pure is rooted in the word for saint or holy, which means set apart for God’s purposes. Cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He aims to wash your heart clean every day, asking God to wash your heart like Jesus washed His disciples’ feet.
Fix the Mind on What is 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, winsome. 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.”
Fix the Mind on What is COMMENDABLE: (Greek, “euphemos”): This is the only time that this word is used in the New Testament, and it means of good report and worthy of being applauded. Readers here are being encouraged to fill their minds with those thoughts that have stood the test of time and deserve a good reputation. Fix our minds on ideas that have proven to be well spoken of and admired. Dwell on those thoughts that are highly regarded and accepted by those whose judgment we respect. Euphemos was used in the Greek pagan culture for the thoughtful words that were spoken to the gods immediately before the sacrifice was offered. Evidently, they believed that the pagan gods were especially attentive to what the worshipper said just before the sacrifice, and so the pressure was on to make those words count, that those words better be worthy of speaking to the gods. It’s interesting that St. Paul would use this particular term as he encouraged believers to think about those things that would be acceptable in God’s hearing. These words in our mind, Paul is saying, were to be of good report and worthy of His admiration. We are called to occupy our minds with thoughts that are capable of being commended and approved by others and by God Himself. Fill our minds with those thoughts that truly deserve to become famous.
Fix the Mind on What is MORALLY EXCELLENT: (Greek, “Arete”): St. Paul shifts from his particular suggestions for our mental check list to a couple of summary qualities… that which is excellent and praiseworthy. The term he uses for excellence, the one time he used this word in all his writings, is centered on moral excellence and virtue. Fill your minds with thoughts that help you flourish morally, Paul is teaching us. Fix your mind on ideas that help you to develop integrity and goodness. Arete is a character word, and we are to focus on ideas that nourish a godly character, an inner core of goodness that can be demonstrated to a watching world. Paul is cajoling us into developing a habit of excellent thinking, of keeping the moral standards of our thought life at a high level, strengthening our mind’s muscle to do some heavy lifting in a largely immoral world. Putting our best mind forward would have to include a focus on arete, on thoughts that reflect our growing desire for an exceptional character that reveals the very character of God Himself.
Hear and Do. To make sure the Philippian Christians understood the whole point of this teaching, Paul closed this passage with a key Hebraic principle: “Practice what you have learned…” (4:9). The Greek word for practice is “prassete,” which means to keep on practicing, make it an ongoing daily effort to put these praiseworthy thoughts of goodness into one’s lifestyle. Keep converting thought into action and it becomes a life-giving mental habit. Paul is saying that dwelling on something isn’t merely a cognitive experience, some abstract exercise in the mind that remains disconnected to the way one lives. Remember to complete the hearing with the doing. Flesh out the spiritual realities. Put these divine qualities into action. All these spiritual realities are intended to be practiced in daily life, becoming a part of one’s character. To fix one’s mind on these aspects of divine goodness results in those aspects becoming a fixed part of who we are in Christ. “Be doers of the Word,” says St. James in his letter (1:22), “and not hearers only.” We could add to that, “and not thinkers only.”
Fixed on Jesus. The fact that we are being taught to welcome certain spiritual realities into our minds and to dwell (“logizesthe“) on these thoughts with the Greek word rooted in Logos, should remind us that we are capable of dwelling on these life-giving thoughts only as we dwell in the living Word. Jesus in the only possible salvation of our minds, and that simple but profound teaching is repeated throughout the New Testament… “Fix your mind on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2); “Set your mind on things above.” (Colossians 3:2); “Set your mind on the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 8:5); “Thoughtfully consider Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1); “You will guard in perfect peace those whose mind is stayed on you, Lord.” (Isaiah 26:3).
Jason Walker – I Woke Up This Morning With My Mind On Jesus