Philippians 4:4-9
Verse 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.
As we continue our study on making all things new we look again at what it means to renew our thoughts so we become transformed as He has planned for us. Renewing our minds begins with the choice to do so. Unless we make the decision to be more in line with the Lord’s will, we will continue to make decisions based on what we want and what makes us happy.
Paul knew this about human nature and therefore instructed the Philippians how to renew their thinking in his letter to them. It was about being purposeful in their thinking just as it must be with us. Paul made this list which almost seems poetic in its delivery. A list of words which we can quickly say we agree with but may not give much thought to.
First Paul lists “true” which we would all agree is important for a healthy thought life. If we aren’t setting the rule of truth for our thinking we are starting out with an unstable foundation. No matter what false thought we base our thinking on it will cloud the rest of our thinking. If we are not making sure our first thought is truth the thoughts following it will lead us further and further from the truth. And the more a thought is rolled around in our minds, the more we start to think it is truth whether it is or not.
We need to remember truth isn’t truth because we believe it to be so, truth is truth by its very nature. There are many in the world today who say truth is what you want it to be, but truth by its very definition is a singular thing. It isn’t fluid or become whatever we want it to be, truth is an absolute and what truth is for one must be truth for others. We don’t get to decide what truth is, God has already declared it.
Paul was wanting to make sure his readers were understanding the importance of starting with truth. His readers needed to remember they were the Gospel bearers of their time and therefore the need for truth was especially necessary. If they allowed themselves to think about things which weren’t truth, the Gospel they shared would be tainted. The same is true for us.
Making It Personal
Do you struggle to know truth? Where do you seek truth? What lies do you believe about yourself?
Making It Personal Kids
How do you know if something is true? Do you make sure something is true before telling someone else? Do you think about what is true?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for helping us know what is true. Give us wisdom to focus on truth so we aren’t misled by lies. And help us speak truth into our own lives as well. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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