Philippians: Think of These Things
Philippians 4:8-9; 1 John 3:7-8; Ephesians 5:1-5; Matthew 5:8, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 2 Peter 1:5-7- We can think of Jesus and these things will be in our minds.
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9 NASB1995
Grab a coffee because this is a long one (what a surprise).
After Paul tells us not to be anxious but to bring everything to God in prayer, he gives believers a handy list of eight virtues (thoughts) to accompany the nine fruit of the Spirit (behaviors) from Galatians 5. Paul is certainly not advocating a “power of positive thinking” to practice and dwell upon; positive thinking (nothing is ever bad or worthy of criticism) destroys our sense of discernment and of seeing reality. Here’s what Gotquestions.org says about “positive thinking”, as popularized by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale in a book from 1952 (I remember my parents having this book on the shelf to go along with Dr. Spock’s flawed recommendations for raising children that resulted in millions of spoiled baby boomer brats):
One definition for positive thinking is “the act of reviewing thought processes in order to identify areas that need improvement, and then using the appropriate tools to change those thoughts in a positive, goal-oriented way.” Of course, thinking positively is not wrong. The problem associated with “positive thinking” is in believing that there is some kind of supernatural power in positive thinking. In this age of rampant false doctrine and watered-down theology, the power of positive thinking has stood out as one of the more popular errors. False doctrines are similar in that they are human ideas masquerading as the truth. One such human idea is the power of positive thinking.
The idea of the power of positive thinking was popularized by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale in his book The Power of Positive Thinking (1952). According to Peale, people can change future outcomes and events by “thinking” them into existence. The power of positive thinking promotes self-confidence and faith in oneself; it leads naturally to a false belief in the “law of attraction,” as Peale wrote, “When you expect the best, you release a magnetic force in your mind which by a law of attraction tends to bring the best to you.” Of course, there is nothing biblical about one’s mind emanating a “magnetic force” that pulls good things into one’s orbit. In fact, there is much unbiblical about such a notion.
In The Power of Positive Thinking, Peale used flawed religious concepts and subjective psychological theories to advance a false version of faith and hope. His theory is part of the “self-help” movement whereby a person tries to create his own reality with human effort, proper mental images, and willpower. But reality is truth, and the truth is found in the Bible. People cannot create their own reality by fantasizing or thinking it into existence. Peale’s theory is flawed because he did not base it on truth.
Let’s start with the first virtue: Truth. I’ll bring in the Greek word for each of these so that we know the origins of the language used in this epistle.
Truth comes from Greek adjective ἀληθής or alēthḗs (Strong’s G227) with the following Biblical usages:
true
loving the truth, speaking the truth, truthful
Well, of course in this day and age, everyone has their own “truth” or at least that is what we are led to believe (and they are usually quite vociferous about sharing that “truth”). I have come to recognize, in my faith journey, that God’s word is true, in the purest sense of that word. All of the other virtues or thoughts for us to hold captive flow from this truth. A believer focused on truth also puts away lying (easier said than done). This commentary from Pastor Stephen Cole, quoted on Precept Austin, is good:
Since as fallen creatures we are prone to Satan’s lies and deception, the only way we can know the truth and walk in it is to steep ourselves in God’s Word. We should know the Word so well that we automatically run everything we encounter through the grid of God’s Word. We live in a day that is geared toward emotions and strongly influenced by the supposed “virtue” of tolerance. Our culture assumes that love means being tolerant and accepting of everyone and everything, even if God’s Word plainly declares that something is an abomination.
If you go with the flow, you will be carried far from God’s absolute standard of moral truth as revealed in His Word. We also must resist the pragmatism of our culture, which determines the true by whatever works. If something works, which means it brings you happiness (at least at the moment) or it accomplishes what you want, then it must be true. But God’s Word doesn’t always line up with what works. In fact, it’s clear that sin often brings pleasure for a season; if it didn’t we wouldn’t be so enticed by it. Many of the “positive mental attitude” methods are effective in making you a successful sales person. But the question is, Are they biblical? We must test everything by God’s Word, not by feelings or pragmatism. (Read Pastor Cole’s excellent message Philippians 4:8 The Christian's Thought Life).
Honorable comes from the Greek adjective σεμνός or semnós (Strong’s G4586), with the following Biblical usages:
august, venerable, reverend
to be venerated for character, honourable
of persons
of deeds
Christians should take this life seriously. I’m not saying that you can’t enjoy something light-hearted, but when you are focused on eternity, you realize that frivolities suddenly seem just - frivolous (not having any serious purpose or value). Not taking life seriously and making everything into a joke (often at the expense of others) quickly devolves into cynicism and sarcasm and endless bad memes shared on social media. We should all have something better to do with our short time in this life.
I’m not sure when Steve and I actually became dedicated amateur scholars of WWII, but I think we realized that we were driven to study those events and the people that were honorable and worthy of reverence and respect from that historic era (and also learn from the unmitigated evil that was unleashed on the world). We can still be entertained by frivolity, but there is a God-given reason for being sober-minded. Here’s what Pastor Steven Cole, quoted in Precept Austin says:
This means that Christians are to take life seriously. We are not to be silly goof-offs, who treat life as a perpetual joke. We live in light of eternity, keeping in mind the uncertainty of this short life and the reality of heaven and hell. This doesn’t mean that we can’t appreciate clean humor. But our overall tenor should communicate to a lost world that they must stand before a holy God someday soon. Think on these reverent themes. (Read his excellent message Philippians 4:8 The Christian's Thought Life).
Right comes from the Greek adjective δίκαιος or díkaios (Strong’s G1342), with the following Biblical usages:
righteous, observing divine laws
in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God
of those who seem to themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves in their virtues, whether real or imagined
innocent, faultless, guiltless
used of him whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting is wholly conformed to the will of God, and who therefore needs no rectification in the heart or life
only Christ truly
approved of or acceptable of God
in a narrower sense, rendering to each his due and that in a judicial sense, passing just judgment on others, whether expressed in words or shown by the manner of dealing with them
Thinking about what is right leads to a sense of what is righteous and virtuous. We think about the holy, faultless nature of God and want to do what is right to be conformed to His will and be approved of or acceptable to Him. But we don’t want to pride ourselves on our righteousness and become like the Pharisees. The Apostle John said it well in 1 John 3:
“Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
1 John 3:7-8 NASB1995
Pure comes from the Greek adjective ἁγνός or hagnós (Strong’s G53), with the following Biblical usages:
exciting reverence, venerable, sacred
pure
pure from carnality, chaste, modest
pure from every fault, immaculate
clean
Jesus is, of course, the sacred model for purity. Paul expands on this virtue in Ephesians 5:
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
Ephesians 5:1-5 NASB1995
And Jesus emphasized the pure in heart:
““Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Matthew 5:8 NASB1995
With our sex-crazed, debased culture, we must as believers turn away from those things that are impure and not give it attention. Filthiness can also include the words that we use. If you are pure in heart (and thoughts and words) then you shall see God!
Lovely comes from the Greek adjective προσφιλής or prosphilḗs (Strong’s G4375), with the following Biblical usage:
acceptable, pleasing
God’s creation is lovely, but this is not the intent of this usage. This means to look away from what is worthless or discouraging or is the realm of darkness of the evil one. I like this story from J.R. Miller that was shared on Precept Austin:
We must be always turning—if we would keep our life true and according to God's commandments. There are some flowers which always turn toward the sun. There was a little potted rose-bush in a sick-room which I visited. It sat by the window. One day I noticed that the one rose on the bush was looking toward the light. I referred to it; and the sick woman said that her daughter had turned the rose around several times toward the darkness of the room—but that each time the little flower had twisted itself back, until again its face was toward the light. It would not look into the darkness. The rose taught me a lesson—never to allow myself to look toward any evil—but instantly to turn from it. Not a moment should we permit our eyes to be inclined toward anything sinful. To yield to one moment's sinful act—is to defile the soul. One of the main messages of the Bible is, "Turn from the wrong, the base, the crude, the unworthy—to the right, the pure, the noble, the godlike." We should not allow even an unholy thought to stay a moment in our mind—but should turn from its very first suggestion, with face fully toward Christ, the Holy One.
Do we do this in our lives? It’s so easy to watch unholy and unworthy content on television. We should turn towards Christ, the Holy One when faced with these temptations.
Good repute is from the Greek adjective εὔφημος or eúphēmos (Strong’s G2163) with the following Biblical usages and Strong’s definitions:
sounding well
uttering words of good omen, speaking auspiciously
reputable
Of good report
The NIV translates this as admirable. We should resist things that are disreputable or not worthy of admiration, although plenty of people in our culture find things to admire that are certainly not of God. We should also resist thoughts that condemn others but look for the things of good repute. 1 Timothy 3 identifies those attributes of someone who seeks to be an overseer of the church:
“It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
1 Timothy 3:1-7 NASB1995
Excellence comes from the Greek noun ἀρέτη or arétē (Strong’s G703), with the following Biblical usages:
a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action
virtue, moral goodness
any particular moral excellence, as modesty, purity
If there is any excellence that we can come to, it is the result of the previous thought patterns that Paul exhorts. It is moral excellence and goodness to distinguish it from other types of excellence we may encounter in our transactions with others.
2 Peter 1 has a path for applying moral excellence to our lives from this other great apostle:
“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.”
2 Peter 1:5-7 NASB1995
I haven’t done a study of 2 Peter yet, but it’s on the list, Lord willing.
Worthy of Praise comes from the Greek noun ἔπαινος or épainos (Strong’s G1868), with the following Biblical usages:
approbation, commendation, praise
This commentary from David Roper, found on Precept Austin, is an interesting take on what is worthy of praise (rather than condemnation):
I’ve been asking myself lately: Am I preoccupied with other people’s imperfections? Do I brood over their failures and faults, their moral flaws? Do I consider only the wrong that they do, especially the wrong they have done to me, or do I reflect on those aspects of character that are morally excellent and worthy of praise? How many friendships have ended because someone’s mistakes loomed large in our minds? How many marriages have died because we brooded and obsessed over our spouse’s flaws? How many of us have alienated our children because we have endlessly chided them and harped on their failings? Paul writes, “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.”I’ve often pondered this verse and wondered how anyone can think abstractly about nobility, righteousness, and loveliness. Can it be that Paul is suggesting that we concentrate on those traits in others that are noble, admirable, lovely, and worthy of praise?
Of course God is worthy of all of our praise, 24/7! But we should also commend others who model these traits. I also liked this humorous anecdote on Precept Austin from Adrian Rogers:
I heard of a little boy who went out to see the Grand Canyon, and an old preacher went out to see the Grand Canyon. The old preacher wrote back to his wife—he said, "Today I've seen the handiwork of God. I've seen God as He put colors on His palette, and God as He took His fingers and sculptured a masterpiece." And, he went on, in grandiose words, to describe the Grand Canyon. The little boy wrote back to his mother, and he said, "Guess what, Ma? Today I spit a mile." You can be surrounded by beauty, and not see it.
Paul tells us to dwell on these things, to look to him as a model for these examples. Here is verse 9 repeated again so you don’t have to scroll endlessly to the top:
The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Ray Pritchard has some excellent commentary on how we dwell on these thoughts versus the thousands of others that creep into our minds (from Precept Austin):
Our passage closes with an exhortation to think holy thoughts. Did you know that the average person has 10,000 separate thoughts each day? That works out to 3.5 million thoughts a year. If you live to be 75, you will have over 26 million [note: Pritchard’s math is wrong; it’s 262.5 million!] different thoughts. Already most of you have had over 2,000 separate thoughts since you got out of bed this morning. You’ll probably have another 8,000 before you hit the sack tonight. Then you’ll start all over again tomorrow. The principle behind Paul’s words is simple: Sin always begins in the mind and so does holiness. When Paul says “think about such things,” the command is in the present tense: “Keep on thinking about these things.” Find what is true and think about it. Find the lovely and think about it. Find the virtuous and think about it. Do it and verse 9 says “the God of peace will be with you.” If you are a Christian, you have within you the power to obey every command in this passage. You can literally change your mind if you want to. How? By remembering that all that is best is embodied in a Person! I am speaking of Jesus Christ. If you link yourself with him, you are joined with the highest moral power in the universe. He is the embodiment of everything Paul has commanded us to do. It’s all in Jesus. All virtue, all beauty, all holiness, all truth, all that is good and right is found in him. This is not some abstract philosophy but a call to a personal relationship. My exhortation is simple. Hold on to Jesus! Think about him! Rest in him! Live in him! When Jesus Christ reigns in your heart, you will …
Stand Firm
Settle Your Differences
Resolve to Rejoice
Ask God for a Gentle Spirit
Pray About Everything
Think Holy Thoughts
So good! Jesus is the one we must imitate and think about!
Whew! My next devotional examines Philippians 4:10-14 - Paul speaks about contentment and God’s provision. This passage contains one of the most misunderstood and misused verses in the NT (Philippians 4:13).
I’m getting close to the end of Philippians. After finishing chapter 4 and writing a summary of the book, I plan to look at Psalm 34 verse by verse (these will probably be much shorter devotionals, but who knows? It’s where the Lord leads!).
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please help me to dwell on those things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, of excellence and praiseworthy. Guide me away from the influences of this world that interfere with right thinking. Guide me into Your peace. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
The Blue Letter Bible was accessed on 08/02/2025 and 08/03/2025 to review the lexicon for true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, of excellence and worthy of praise.
Gotquestions.org was accessed on 08/02/2025 to answer the question “What is the Power of Positive Thinking?”
Precept Austin was accessed on 08/02/2025 and 08/03/2025 to review commentary for Philippians 4:8-9.