“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, NIV84)

 

“Finally…” what? Paul is putting the finishing touches on some pretty profound truths. He has stated that we should not be anxious about anything, but we should at all times bring our concerns to the Lord in prayer because He is very near us. By doing that, Paul tells us that we will gain a peace (God’s peace) that transcends human comprehension. Now that we have all that working for us, Paul says, “finally”… one last thing. There is one more thing he wants us to do. He wants us to do something with our minds. He wants our thoughts to be focused in a certain way. And what way is that?

 

He tells us to set our minds on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Paul is obviously implying that there is another option. Our minds could be focused on other things. This is important for us to understand. Every day we have an option as to what we allow our minds to focus on. So let me ask you a question. As you look out into the world in which we live, where can we find something that is true, noble, right, pure …? You get my point. There is nothing in this world like that to set our focus on.

 

Paul is telling us to set our focus on something that transcends this world. He wants us to focus on God and His Word. He wants us to focus on Jesus. By doing this we will be focusing on what is truly excellent and praiseworthy. So our choice is clear. Will we focus on the things of this world? Or will we focus on the truths of God’s Word and His kingdom?

 

Today, and every day, may we choose the latter. May we set our minds and focus on the only thing that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise … Jesus.

 

Peace!

 

 

Pastor Tom