“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Today you have an assignment. Since it is clear that God desires for us to control our thought life, what better way than to begin with meditating on and memorizing Philippians 4:8? (See above.) These are words the apostle Paul wrote to encourage fellow believers, so let’s instill them into our lives as well.

During the next few weeks, we will be focusing on “whatever is true”, but there are a lot of things that are true in this world that we really should not think much about. So we pair up “whatever is true” with some other virtues in order to filter our thoughts. For example, if I’m thinking about a family member, friend, co-worker, neighbor, etc., I may need to put “whatever is true” together with “if anything is excellent or praiseworthy”. This keeps my thoughts about that person on a positive note rather than on a critical or judgmental track. It’s easy to find yourself on that slippery slope. So if you do, stop and change the direction of your thoughts.

Besides people, what else are we thinking about? Probably a million other things! We are daily bombarded by a myriad of thoughts with which God can help. Throughout our day, we need to release control to Him and pray for Him to show us how to re-think each situation.

That’s why this week we will work on memorizing Philippians 4:8. Read the words and phrases over and over. Try saying or writing parts of the verse without looking. Maybe you’ll want to group virtues together or create a picture in your mind, whatever technique works best for you. Or, you may want to write the verse on a sticky note and place it on your bathroom mirror, phone, or computer monitor, someplace you will see it throughout the day. The best way to change your attitude is to change what you are thinking. So, let’s begin by putting scripture in your heart and mind. And let the changes begin! With God’s help, you can do it!

Today’s thought: God has wonderful things for us to think about!

 ~ by Arrow © 2016
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