Six Things to Think On

Six Things to Think On

Our minds are focused on something all day long. We may start out in a heavenly mindset but quickly be drawn to things of the world. I want us to think about six things found in one verse of the bible that God wants us to think on.

In the bible, we all have special chapters and verses that really speak to me. My favorite verse in the bible is II Pet 3:9.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Hebrews Chapter 11 on Faith is a wonderful book. Psalms 23 is a great comfort and guide to our daily lives. But I don’t think there is a chapter in the bible that speaks to me more than Philippians Chapter 4. It tells us how to think, and how to view life, and how to get the right mindset to serve God on a daily basis.

Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Php 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Php 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Php 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

Php 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Php 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Having the right mindset is crucial to thinking right in life. The world wants us to think like they do, but we need to be more heavenly-focused than that. We must strive to think like Christ and have the mind of Christ.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

I am a member of Grace Baptist Church in Wichita Falls, Texas. Brother Danny Taylor, our pastor, and Jordan Lindsey, our Associate Pastor, have both been pointing out the importance of really understanding the words written in the Bible.

To do this, you need to go back to the Noah Webster 1828 dictionary that is available for free online or as an app on your phone and look at that original meaning. I used it for reference to look up the words as originally penned to study and expound upon.

Paul told those at the church in Philippi to THINK ON THESE THINGS. So let's reread the verse with what we should be thinking on which is verse 8.

Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

The first 3 things. True, Honest, Just.

whatsoever things are true

TRUE, adjective

1. Conformable to fact; being in accordance with the actual state of things; as a true relation or narration; a true history. A declaration is true when it states the facts. In this sense, true is opposed to false.

2. Genuine; pure; real; not counterfeit, adulterated or false; as true balsam; the true bark; true love of country; a true christian.

--The true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. John 1:9.

3. Faithful; steady in adhering to friends, to promises, to a prince or to the state; loyal; not false, fickle or perfidious; as a true friend; a true lover; a man true to his king, true to his country, true to his word; a husband true to his wife; a wife true to her husband; a servant true to his master; an officer true to his charge.

4. Free from falsehood; as a true witness.

5. Honest; not fraudulent; as good men and true

See how much more focus the definition is tied to the Word of God. Back in the early days of America, faithful men established this nation. And Christians thought like Christians. We need to be TRUE in our lives. GENUINE, PURE, REAL, not Counterfeit as the definition explains.

whatsoever things are honest

HON'EST, adjective on'est. [Latin honestus, from honos, honor.]

1. Upright; just; fair in dealing with others; free from trickishness and fraud; acting and having the disposition to act at all times according to justice or correct moral principles; applied to persons.

An honest man's the noblest work of God.

An honest physician leaves his patient, when he can contribute no farther to his health.

2. Fair; just; equitable; free from fraud; as an honest transaction; an honest transfer of property.

3. Frank; sincere; unreserved; according to truth; as an honest confession.

4. Sincere; proceeding from pure or just principles, or directed to a good object; as an honest inquiry after truth; an honest endeavor; honest views or motives.

5. Fair; good; unimpeached.

Seek seven men of honest report. Acts 6:3.

6. Decent; honorable; or suitable.

Provide things honest in the sight of all men. Romans 12:17.

7. Chaste; faithful.

Do we not all desire to work and associate with HONEST men and women. We should never be dishonest in our daily dealings. Paul urges them to fair, just, free from fraud. Have just principles and go about being fair, good, decent and honorable.

Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

whatsoever things are just

JUST, adjective [Latin justus. The primary sense is probably straight or close, from the sense of setting, erecting, or extending.]

1. Regular; orderly; due; suitable.

When all

The war shall stand ranged in its just array.

2. Exactly proportioned; proper.

Pleaseth your lordship

To meet his grace, just distance 'tween our armies?

3. Full; complete to the common standard.

He was a comely personage, a little above just stature.

4. Full; true; a sense allied to the preceding, or the same.

--So that once the skirmish was like to have come to a just battle.

5. In a moral sense, upright; honest; having principles of rectitude; or conforming exactly to the laws, and to principles of rectitude in social conduct; equitable in the distribution of justice; as a just judge.

6. In an evangelical sense, righteous; religious; influenced by a regard to the laws of God; or living in exact conformity to the divine will.

There is not a just man on earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. Ecclesiastes 7:15.

7. Conformed to rules of justice; doing equal justice.

JUST balances, just weights, a just ephah and a just hin shall ye have. Leviticus 19:36.

8. Conformed to truth; exact; proper; accurate; as just thoughts; just expressions; just images or representations; a just description; a just inference.

9. True; founded in truth and fact; as a just charge or accusation.

10. Innocent; blameless; without guilt.

How should man be just with God? Job 9:2.

11. Equitable; due; merited; as a just recompense or reward.

--Whose damnation is just Romans 3:8.

12. True to promises; faithful; as just to one's word or engagements.

13. Impartial; allowing what is due; giving fair representation of character, merit or demerit.

I never realized how closely Just and Justice are in meaning. The Lord wants just balances, just weights. In other words be exact, truthful and accurate. Found always to be innocent and blameless. Be fair in all of our dealings.

When we do these things, we glorify the Lord and our lights really shine forth. That is God’s design to pull the lost towards Jesus Christ.

Here are the last set of 3 things to think on.

whatsoever things are pure

Pure is defined with 12 meanings, and all tie back to being very good and without defilement.

PURE, adjective [Latin purus.]

1. Separate from all heterogeneous or extraneous matter; clear; free from mixture; as pure water; pure clay; pure sand; pure air; pure silver of gold. pure wine is very scare.

2. Free from moral defilement; without spot; not sullied or tarnished; incorrupt; undebased by moral turpitude; holy.

Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil. Habakkuk 1:13. Proverbs 20:9.

3. Genuine; real; true; incorrupt; unadulterated; as pure religion. James 1:27.

4. Unmixed; separate from any other subject or from every thing foreign; as pure mathematics.

5. Free from guilt; guiltless; innocent.

No hand of strife is pure but that which wins.

6. Not vitiated with improper or corrupt words or phrases; as a pure style of discourse or composition.

7. Disinterested; as pure benevolence.

8. Chaste; as a pure virgin.

9. Free from vice or moral turpitude. Titus 1:15.

10. Ceremonially clean; unpolluted. Ezra 6:20.

11. Free from any thing improper; as, his motives are pure

12. Mere; absolute; that and that only; unconnected with any thing else; as a pure villain. He did that from pure compassion, or pure good nature.

Surprisingly, lovely only has one definition compared to 12 on Pure.

whatsoever things are lovely

LOVELY, adjective luv'ly. Amiable; that may excite love; possessing qualities which may invite affection.

Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives - 2 Samuel 1:23.

We will have to put two definitions together to make up our minds what Good Report means.

whatsoever things are of good report

GOOD, adjective

1. Valid; legally firm; not weak or defective; having strength adequate to its support; as a good title; a good deed; a good claim.

2. Valid; sound; not weak, false or fallacious; as a good argument.

3. Complete or sufficiently perfect in its kind; having the physical qualities best adapted to its design and use; opposed to bad, imperfect, corrupted, impaired. We say, good timber, good cloth, a good soil, a good color.

And God saw every thing that he had made, and

behold, it was very good Genesis 1:4.

4. Having moral qualities best adapted to its design and use, or the qualities which God's law requires; virtuous; pious; religious; applied to persons, and opposed to bad, vitious, wicked, evil.

Yet peradventure for a good man some would

even dare to die. Romans 5:7.

5. Conformable to the moral law; virtuous; applied to actions.

In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works.

Titus 2:3.

6. Proper; fit; convenient; seasonable; well adapted to the end. It was a good time to commence operations. He arrived in good time.

7. Convenient; useful; expedient; conducive to happiness.

It is not good that the man should be alone. Genesis 2:9.

Report

REPORT, verb transitive [Latin reporto, to carry back; re and porto, to bear.]

1. To bear or bring back an answer, or to relate what has been discovered by a person sent to examine, explore or investigate; as, a messenger reports to his employer what he has seen or ascertained. The committee reported the whole number of votes.

2. To give an account of; to relate; to tell.

They reported his good deeds before me. Nehemiah 6:13. Acts 4:23.

3. To tell or relate from one to another; to circulate publicly, as a story; as in the common phrase, it is reported.

It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel. Nehemiah 6:13.

In this form of expression, it refers to the subsequent clause of the sentence; 'that thou and the Jews think to rebel, is reported.'

4. To give an official account or statement; as, the secretary of the treasury reports to congress annually the amount of revenue and expenditure.

5. To give an account or statement of cases and decisions in a court of law or chancery.

6. To return, as sound; to give back

So looking at this, we can put those together and it would mean to think on things that can be official and right in God’s sight. What is official and right? God’s Word is perfect. It is the answer to all of our questions and needs for guidance on how to live. God is the giver of all good things, and we should be thinking on those reports given that are good.

Let’s all make a point to think about these six things. True, Honest, Just, Pure, Lovely, and Good Report. Our minds think all day long. Are we thinking good Godly thoughts or is our mind tied to the things of this world? When we ponder on these six things, I believe our minds will be renewed by the Holy Spirit and we will have a much closer relationship with the Lord.

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