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. —Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
I copied Philippians 4:8 in white paint pen on black paper. I added a few flourishes, took a picture of it, then emailed it to my Bible study friends. That morning, we’d had a long talk about our attitudes and how often they were rooted in what we chose to fill our minds with. What might happen if we challenged ourselves to filter everything through Philippians 4:8 for a week, even if that meant avoiding the news, social media, and certain conversations?
As I kept my promise to make a pretty copy of the verse for the women to set as wallpaper on their phones or computers, I considered what it might mean for me to think on things that were true, noble, right, pure . . . .
But that afternoon, something happened that frustrated me.
The more I tried to apply Philippians 4:8, the more aware I became of how often I allowed my mind to drift to unlovely places. No wonder I had trouble sleeping, snapped at people I loved, and felt anxious. Peace came when I asked Jesus to shift my thinking. How different would our lives be if we tuned out everything that contradicted Philippians 4:8? What would we talk about? What would we watch and listen to? What would we think about at night? As hard as it is some days, when we start to see it make a difference, the peace becomes worth the effort.
Faith Step: Write Philippians 4:8 on a card or piece of paper and keep it where you can see it often. Challenge yourself to filter your thoughts for a week.
