Like
many families, we used to review our collective days around the
supper
table. Typically, this
involved talking
about what went wrong, or the annoying things that happened to us. It was depressing! So, we made a change and
said, “If you have a
real problem, we will talk about it.
Otherwise,
tell us something good!”
There
are not many areas in your life where you are in total control,
but you are
completely in charge of your thoughts.
Therefore,
I have come to believe that Philippians 4:8 is one of the most
important verses
for our day and time. It
says, “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”.
That
is
a command! We cannot
change or ignore it. Yet,
sadly, some of the most discouraging people
I know are believers! That
is wrong and
counterproductive! We lose
the battle
when we give in to negativity.
Notice,
too, that the Holy Spirit used eight different words to describe
the same
attitude. There is no way
to
misunderstand what is expected. Every
thought is to be filtered through the question, “Is this lovely,
good, pure, noble
and true?” If it does not
harmonize with
this tone, then it needs to be altered or discarded.
Lastly,
when Paul tells them to think on these things, he did mean a
passing thought
once in while. Other
versions translate “think”
with words like, “dwell”, “focus your thoughts”, “fill your
minds”, “meditate”
and “think about what you can praise God for and be happy about”. Positive, hopeful thoughts
are to be at the
centre of everything.
To
be
clear, I am not encouraging you to be naive, deny reality, or bury
your head in
the stand. In fact, I
guarantee you that
there is no danger that you will pass over what needs to be
corrected and fixed. We
are too well trained in seeing what is wrong
to miss it.
However,
we cannot dwell there. We
must choose to
think about possibilities and not just problems. We must believe that God is
working in ways
we cannot see. Even in our
worst
circumstances, we can choose to see blessings.
Whether
you know it or not, you are in a battle!
Fight
to find the good!
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