In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes,
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Philippians 4:8
Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi is full of joyful advice and encouragement. In our verse today, we read that an aspect of our growth in holiness has to do with how we think, with what goes on in our mind and thoughts. Paul’s advice is stunningly winning: think about these things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and commendable. What a delightfully simple and beautiful list of what we should think about! This is the kind of challenge that is worth putting some mental effort into.
What are those things that true, honorable, just, etc…? What are their opposites that are perhaps a part of my regular pattern of thinking?
The invitation to bring discipline, order, and goodness to our imagination and thought-life is a simple one that can begin today with small steps: What is one good thing I can spend some time thinking about today and one thing I should choose to stop dwelling on today?
A new heart and renewed spirit
In Psalm 51, David writes:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”
Psalm 51:10-12
Psalm 51 is the great psalm of repentance that teaches us how to ask for forgiveness from God. Our verses here speak of a new heart, of remaining in God’s presence, of keeping God’s Holy Spirit, and restoring to us joy and obedience that come from God.
In the Bible, the heart represents the part of a person that makes decisions and chooses how to act. Repentance comes from recognizing that we have acted wrongly and from a desire to change so that in the future we will act well, or rightly. Only God can change our heart and our spirit, hence these verses ask God to do just that.
In prayer before God, the Holy One, ask Him for this new heart, for a renewed spirit to enable you to remain in His presence throughout the day. Memorize these verses and say them out loud to yourself several times today.
Top image credit: Background photo by Tim Marshall from Uplash.com, Free to use under the Unsplash License. Quote from Philippians 4:8 added.