What’s on your mind? I’m sure each of us has been asked that at least once before. What if you had to answer that question every hour? Maybe your answer would be that you’re thinking about loved ones, or a situation you are concerned about. Maybe anger, pain, bitterness, or revenge fills your mind, spinning on endless repeat. Perhaps it’s sports that fill your mind, the movie you recently watched, or the series you’re working through. Maybe it’s politics, restrictions, or rules that don’t make sense to you. Perhaps it’s the latest fad on social media or trying to get as many likes or followers as possible. Or maybe you wouldn’t be ready to answer, too overcome with guilt and shame. Then comes the question, does it even really matter what you or I think about? Who cares what’s on our minds?
Each of us should care deeply about what we are filling our minds with, because it does matter. What we dwell on changes us. This can be positive or negative. If we are constantly thinking about the ones we love, it can help us see their needs and be a help. But it could also result in us being frustrated with those same dear ones, wondering why they don’t see things the way we do, upset that they refuse our efforts to help them. And the sad fact is that our hearts naturally tend toward the bad. As Jesus said, “From within, out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness [lustfulness], and evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the [person]” (Mark 7:21-23). If this is how we are naturally, why does it then matter? Aren’t we just being ‘normal’?
Yes, we are being ‘normal.’ But that presents a problem, a very big problem. Only the pure in heart can be with God (Psalm 24:3-4) or have hope of seeing Him (Mat. 5:8). If our hearts are naturally evil, how can we ever have a pure heart? What hope is there? This is where the best news in the whole world comes in. God knew that you and I could never achieve a pure, righteous heart. Yet He loved each of us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to the earth, to live a perfect life, fulfilling all the requirements (Matthew 5:17), so that He could perform the most selfless switch in all of history. He took the sins of the whole world on Himself and paid our death penalty so that every person who believes on Him can have their sins for given and His righteousness put on them, so that before the Father, they have a pure, righteous heart.
If our hearts are pure before God, does it matter any more what we think about? The answer is still yes. We have not been restored in our relationship to God, just to indulge in sin or do whatever we want. Jesus gave His life to purchase our freedom, our righteousness, our purity. His incredibly deep love for us calls us to love Him back. Our heart’s cry should be “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation [the continued thought, or the turning, revolving subject of the mind] be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). Our hearts for years have been deeply entrenched in the natural, normal thoughts which are absolutely contrary to what pleases God. And our loving, gracious God knows that. He gave us a list, and ‘check sheet’ of sorts to help us know what we should be thinking on.
This check sheet is found in Philippians 4. Before we get there, I want to share with you a bit of the context of the passage. Paul is writing to the believers in Christ who were living in the city of Philippi, encouraging them to be like Christ in all areas of their lives. As such, the encouragement and guidance is applicable to Christians today. Paul reminds Christians that when they accepted Jesus’ death on the cross as the only payment for their sins, they became dead to this world: the worldly things no longer control them. Our goal is no longer to be popular, or to fit into the mold that the world sets as ‘perfection.’ Rather, we live to please God, and should be looking forward to the day when we are changed to be like Christ in heaven and living in light of that truth today. “Therefore,” Paul says,” so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.” After giving some other instructions on how to be steadfast in the Lord, Paul comes to our “thought check sheet.” “Finally, brothers, whatsoever things are true [in accordance with the actual state of things, genuine, real], whatsoever things are honest [decent, honorable, respected because of character], whatsoever things just [impartial, giving fair representation of character, good or bad], whatsoever things are pure [free from any thing improper, free from moral defilement], whatsoever things are lovely [acceptable, pleasing], whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue [excellence, or that which constitutes value and merit], and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).
That’s a long list, a lot of high standards for our thoughts and meditations. And you might wonder if anything measures up to this list. There is! As I was thinking over this the last few days, a passage came to mind that is nearly parallel to the ‘check sheet’ passage in Philippians. In Psalm 19 we find this wonderful passage. “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure (honest), making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right (just), rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether (good report). More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold (virtue): sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb (lovely).”
“Well,” you might say, “I don’t know that I want to be thinking about God’s Word all the time.” Take a moment to examine Psalm 1. The passage in Philippians was talking about standing fast in the Lord, and we find an echo of that in Psalm 1. It starts out, “Blessed is the [person] that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall bee like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” This does not mean that a ‘good’ Christian never has another thought, but it does show that there is a steadfastness, a growth, a fruitfulness that meditating in God’s Word brings to the Christian. This is explained a bit more in Ephesians 5. “Christ also loved the church [the believers] and gave Himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word [of God], that he might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
Dear friend, is your heart pure before God? If it is not, I encourage you to accept Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the complete payment for your sin, and let His righteousness and purity be put on your account. If you have already, I encourage you to run your thoughts through the ‘thought check sheet’ given in Philippians 4; and to begin meditating on God’s Word. We are called to be lights in a dark world, not to be mirrors reflecting the darkness around us. The only way we can be the lights we ought to be is by knowing God and knowing His Word. May our prayer, our earnest desire be, “Let the words of my mouth, and the mediation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer” (Ps. 19:14).
“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and, heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49
Hope in truth 