I've decided that the world is a serious place. There's a lot of negativity. I've always been a serious person and tended to dwell on the negative, but lately, I've noticed that, at almost 70 and with my friends facing the more serious issues of aging, my negativity doesn't stand out quite so much! In light of the condition of our world and culture, I don't even stand out among younger people.
Hope is waning, but as for me, now many times do I have to be reminded?
Think on these things -- the "whatsoever things"!
"Whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good repute;
if there be any virtue, if there be any praise,
think on these things."
Philippians 4:8
Because Paul tells us to "think on these things, " we know that we CAN do so. We have the ability, It's a choice. We have control over the thoughts we allow our minds to dwell upon.
I've been reading Charles Stanley's devotionals for years and years. He has a way of moving scripture from the page to the heart and from the heat to the place where I live every day.
This week, in "Three Ways to Think Right" Dr. Stanley gave three ways we can govern our thoughts.
1. Screen them.
We can check each thought by asking the following questions:
- What's the source?
- Where will it lead me?
- Is this scripturally sound?
- Is this going to build me up or tear me down?
- Can I share this with someone else?
- Does it make me feel guilty?
- Does it fit who I am as a follower of Jesus Christ
2. Select them.
God has given us the right to decide whether or not we will accept a thought.
3. Cultivate them.
Accepting godly thoughts (and rejecting evil ones) is not enough. You need to dwell on the ideas that align with God's Word and then start practicing them.
I expect this verse to pop up on my blog many times in the future as I walk the remainder of my journey. It has certainly appeared in my journals over and over. Lately, I rarely hear a radio program or sermon that's not on Phil. 4:6-8! (a topic for another blog: I do appreciate the Lord preparing me for the Thanksgiving holiday with so many reminders about being thankful. I even taught Ladies Bible Study two weeks ago on praying prayers of thanksgiving!)
So, let me memorize, meditate on, rehearse, recount and obey these words. After all, Whatsoever Things is the title of my blog!
