“Think about These Things”

The following post was written by Jacob Way.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What 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)

You are what you eat is an expression I always heard growing up. “If you eat only cookies, you will become a giant cookie” is a way my mom would teach me to eat a more balanced and healthier diet. As a kid, imagining myself as a huge giant cookie was always a funny image. And I must admit, I have told my daughter this same thing and gotten a giggle as she imagined herself as one big strawberry.

However, this advice is not just a fun way for parents to get their kids to eat vegetables, but a truth about God’s created order—our diet does affect us. Eating only junk food will make us sluggish and sick. Eating nutritious foods, on the other hand, will give us more energy and health.

But this causal relationship between what we eat and its effect on us can also be said about the thoughts we put into our minds. Consider the wisdom of Solomon in Proverbs 23:7 (KJV), “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Meaning, there is a direct correlation between your thoughts and your character. What we think about throughout the day shapes us so much that we will become what we think.

This is why the Bible is filled with commands to “take every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 15:5) and to always “remember Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:8). This is why Paul encouraged the Philippians to likewise “dwell” only on what is good. He admonished them that if anything is true, right, honorable, good, excellent, or worthy of praise, they were to think of these things continually so that they would be obedient to Christ in all things.

But what do these commands actually mean, and how do we obey them? There are three simple steps we must take if we want to take every thought captive.

1) Be aware of the problem. You need to be mindful that, just like your diet, your thoughts shape you. They have a more significant influence than you can imagine. Every form of media, the things we read, or song lyrics we sing are forming us. What are those things communicating to you? What do they value? What are they causing you to think about? Is it sinful things or Godly things? What are they calling you to worship? Be careful. You are slowly being formed into the things you treasure. What would we hear and see if I were to play your Spotify playlist or scroll your Instagram? You are accountable for what you feed yourself.

2) Recognize what good is. What is the good that we are to dwell on? First, we must remember that we don’t define good. God does. We need to submit to His definitions, not our own. He is the Creator and Designer of all things, and this is His world. His ways are, therefore, always better. What does God call good? Himself (Exodus 34:6), His Word (Psalm 119), His Works (Psalm 92:4), and the good works prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10). These are all things we need to know better and think about more.

3) Dwell on the good. We could summarize Good as dwelling on God. This also includes all that He has ever said or done. What does this look like practically?

Dwelling on the good starts with God’s Word. We should commit to the discipline of memorizing Scripture. God’s Word is a living, active shaper of your soul. His Word encourages, comforts, convicts, brings clarity, is the source of wisdom, etc. For help doing this, I recommend an APP called “Verses.” This free app lets you select verses to memorize and helps you learn them in different ways. They have matching, fill-in-the-blank, and reciting. You’ll be amazed at how quickly these verses will become part of you in just a few minutes a day. We should also commit to the discipline of meditating on Scripture. David spends the longest chapter in the whole Bible (Psalm 119) talking about the goodness of God’s word and how he meditates on it day and night (Psalm 119:15). Christian meditation is very different from pagan meditation practices in eastern religions. The goal of meditation in Buddhism, for example, is to empty your mind. The goal of Christian meditation is to fill your mind. Dwelling on the good also involves worship. What are the songs you sing when you are bored? One way to dwell on the goodness of God is to regularly listen to worship songs. The right music can allow you to pour out your soul to the Lord as you go about your day. So be regular in listening to worship music – but beware – not all “Christian” music is created equal. Some modern-day worship songs sing about Jesus as if he were your friend or boyfriend, rather than your Lord and Savior. Avoid those songs and fill your mind with good, theologically rich songs. I recommend old hymns or contemporary artists like Sovereign Grace Music, Matt Boswell, Shane and Shane, and the Gettys.Dwelling on the good also involves understanding and celebrating the good works of our good God. Because everything was made by and for Jesus, we can dwell on the good that God has made us to do in our careers and passions. I can, for example, think about God’s design of economics as I prepare for class. World history becomes something to think about and even celebrate when I understand that the sovereign God has shaped history to bring about the redemption of His people for His glory. Philosophy becomes an engaging intellectual subject when I consider how Christ rightly teaches us the true, the good, and the beautiful.

You are what you eat, and you are what you think. Therefore, I encourage you to dwell on the good in all these ways. Throughout your day, have Christ continually in your thoughts – who He is, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. May His word be found in you as you worship Him through thought, action, and deed so that in all that we do, we may bring glory to God.