May 15 – Philippians 4:8-9
“Finally, brothers, 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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
While many have used this verse to decry the influence of television, movies, music, books and things of the world on our minds, Paul is still talking about the influence of anxiety and worry. There is every reason for us to protect our minds from the evil influences that are in the world, but burning books, picketing television stations, suing gaming companies, and banning music will not change the world, nor will those actions set forth the will of God.
It is not for us to decide how the rest of the world should live – whether they live with or without our idea of smut in the media – no matter how much we think we are right.
Paul makes this all about our own attitudes – not the ideas and attitudes of someone else.
So, what in your life is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy? What do you do to exude these qualities? What parts of you are obviously in communion with the Lord? These are the things to concentrate on.
When you worry and are anxious, what distracts you from those emotions? During the darkest days in my life, when I was up at night trying to figure out how to face the next day at work, I ended up distracting myself in several ways – sometimes it was just mindless television. But, other times, I would force my mind to be creative – I would try to write a story in my mind, filled with characters that traveled throughout many universes. For me that was wonderful. That was where my mind could finally relax.
I know that the creativity in my mind was a connection to God. It is where I meet Him personally. He is the Creator of all things, so when I create, I connect to that part of Him.
Each of us has a different type of connection with God. But, these things in our lives that link us directly to Him are those things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. Find them, focus on them, connect to God through them.
“Finally, brothers, 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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
While many have used this verse to decry the influence of television, movies, music, books and things of the world on our minds, Paul is still talking about the influence of anxiety and worry. There is every reason for us to protect our minds from the evil influences that are in the world, but burning books, picketing television stations, suing gaming companies, and banning music will not change the world, nor will those actions set forth the will of God.
It is not for us to decide how the rest of the world should live – whether they live with or without our idea of smut in the media – no matter how much we think we are right.
Paul makes this all about our own attitudes – not the ideas and attitudes of someone else.
So, what in your life is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy? What do you do to exude these qualities? What parts of you are obviously in communion with the Lord? These are the things to concentrate on.
When you worry and are anxious, what distracts you from those emotions? During the darkest days in my life, when I was up at night trying to figure out how to face the next day at work, I ended up distracting myself in several ways – sometimes it was just mindless television. But, other times, I would force my mind to be creative – I would try to write a story in my mind, filled with characters that traveled throughout many universes. For me that was wonderful. That was where my mind could finally relax.
I know that the creativity in my mind was a connection to God. It is where I meet Him personally. He is the Creator of all things, so when I create, I connect to that part of Him.
Each of us has a different type of connection with God. But, these things in our lives that link us directly to Him are those things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. Find them, focus on them, connect to God through them.
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