“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8 NASB – emphasis mine)

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, “think” is defined several ways. 

One: to form or have in the mind

Another: to have as an intention

There are several others, but I think you get the point. You might be familiar with this verse in Philippians. It’s one of my all-time favorites. Probably because about thirty-five years ago, I came to realize that it wasn’t just a suggestion. I’ll come back to that. 

As a small child, I learned verse eight in chapter four. But it would be another ten years or so before I truly understood them and applied them to my life. 

We spend a lot of time in our heads, don’t we? What other choice do we have? When we’re awake, we’re always thinking. That’s why this verse is so important—the end is a command. It means that we’re in control of our own minds. We can and should control where our thoughts go. 

A place to begin

So let’s start at the end – “think on these things.” What things? Well, the rest of the verse covers that. Whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, commendable, and anything of excellence, anything worthy of praise. 

For me, I tend to try to get down to the nitty-gritty. The first part says, “whatever is true.” The only thing completely and utterly true is the Truth – which is Jesus. He is the Word. He is the Truth. 

All righty then, that makes it pretty simple. I need to keep my thoughts on Him. I need to focus on Him. Worship Him. Thank Him. 

Imagine how my day (and yours) would go if I (you) always had my (your) thoughts straight. If I kept my eyes on that finish line and Jesus waiting for me (you.) 

I’ve been working on it for decades and I still stumble and fall—yes, fail—time and again. But I’m so encouraged on the days when I have been able to follow the teaching and guidance in this simple verse. When I mess up, I just say, “Kim… think on these things.” And I get myself back on track. 

My challenge to you is to examine your own heart, mind, and thoughts. What do you spend time thinking about? Could you apply this verse to your own life today? 

Remember, it’s a command. Not a suggestion. Not – oh, if you feel like it today. 

As we all work on growing closer to Christ, remember that you’re not alone. 

Keep on keepin’ on, my friend,

Kimberley 

Meet Kimberley…