—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Summary: Wrapping up Paul’s instructions on what to think about, we are left to ponder the power of God and the importance of choosing the right field to allow our minds to graze in.
As we come to the end of Paul’s sentence, he wraps up his ‘thinking challenge’ with two more thought goals: Think about things that are excellent and praiseworthy.
Paul’s theme throughout his letter has been guiding us to know God’s will better. At the close of his letter, he stops to plead with Euodia and Syntyche to “be of the same mind in the Lord” (Phil 4:2).
Then, as though he were a doctor prescribing a course of therapy for an injury, he turns his mind to ways that Euodia and Syntyche, as well as all who are in the Lord, can heal emotional wounds and become “of the same mind in the Lord.”
He begins with “Rejoice in the Lord” (Phil 4:4). It is hard to be angry with someone if you are rejoicing in the Lord!
Then he points us to two very practical steps that we can use to deal with “every situation” (Phil 4:6).
1. Do not be anxious.
2. Instead of worrying, come before God in humility and with thanksgiving, and present your petitions and requests.
If we do these two things, Paul promises that the “peace of God” will blanket our hearts and minds.
How can two people who are in the Lord not be of the same mind in the Lord if they are focused on Jesus?
In his letter, James poses the question, “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?” (James 3:11) The answer, of course, is “No!” In a sense, Paul is posing the same question.
Can a person be angry and rejoice at the same time?
Can we worry and not worry at the same time?
Is it possible to trust God and, while doing that, believe that there is nothing God can or will do?
As with his other suggestions, Paul does not give us specifics about what is “excellent or praiseworthy,” but we understand from the context that Paul is pointing us toward godly things.
Life is full of choices, and the one choice that is always before us is this: God’s will or our own?
What kind of water flows from your spring?
Application: Choose Jesus!
Food for Thought: What happens to us as believers if we do not follow Paul’s advice?
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What happens to us as believers if we do not follow Paul’s advice?
Paul wrote, “If anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.”
1.) As believers, our salvation is secured by our faith in the works, sacrifice of Jesus Christ, not by our works.
John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Ephesians 2:8-9, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
2.) All those receiving Christ, become believers, remaining on earth, as Gods work in progress. By His power, He, according to His Will and priorities, will remove old desires to sin, replacing these with new desires and the power to live in His righteousness.
1 John 5:18, We know that everyone who has been born of God does not desire to keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
Romans 6:6, For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.
3.) All believers choosing to turn their backs on Gods conviction and words as penned by Paul, will suffer the consequences of their choices.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:15, If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as fire.
2 Timothy 4:3-4, For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Titus 1:16, They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.
Thank you, Ron!
Seems like a pretty clear choice!
If we don’t think upon that which is excellent and praiseworthy, I suppose we will dwell on that which is not. We might nit pick things that are average or below average and think upon only that which is negative. Human nature without the transformation of God’s word and The Holy Spirit is not excellent or praiseworthy. The good news is God has offered both The transformative power of the Holy Spirit and the truth of His word.
Thank you, Rich!
Well said! Such a good point!
Well said.