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| artwork by Tamara Peterson |
This spectacular piece of artwork by TamaraPeterson inspired me to do a word study based on the Scripture Philippians 4:8:
NASB: Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Amplified: For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is
honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely
and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue
and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and
take account of these things [fix your minds on them].
NLT: And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me
say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true
and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and
admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Phillips: Here is a last piece of advice. If
you believe in goodness and if you value the approval of God, fix your minds on
the things which are holy and right and pure and beautiful and good.
Wuest: Finally, brethren, whatever things have the
character of truth, whatever things are worthy of reverence, whatever things
are righteous, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever
things are attractive, whatever excellence there is or fit object of praise,
these things make the subject of careful reflection.
Young's Literal: As to the rest,
brethren, as many things as are true, as many as are grave, as many as are
righteous, as many as are pure, as many as are lovely, as many as are of good
report, if any worthiness, and if any praise, these things think upon.
Finally (loipon)
means literally “for the rest” or “for what remains” and in the present context
means “as to what remains to be said.” As Paul draws to the conclusion of his
letter, in this verse he deals with the greatest conflict that every believer
encounters—the battle for the control of our minds.
Pastor William Barclay writes: “The human
mind will always set itself on something and Paul wished to be quite sure that
the Philippians would set their minds on the right things. This is something of
the utmost importance, because it is a law of life that, if a man thinks of
something often enough, he will come to the stage when he cannot stop thinking
about it. His thoughts will be quite literally in a groove out of which he
cannot jerk them. It is, therefore, of the first importance that a man should
set his thoughts upon the fine things and here Paul makes a list of them.”
True (alethes)
is that which conforms to reality. In the final analysis whatever God says on
any given subject is true! The unchanging God and His unchanging holy Word is
the final test for truth. You do not have to look very closely to find our Lord
Jesus Christ in verse 8 for Jesus said He was "the Truth" and each of
these traits is true of Him.
Honorable (semnos)
means
worthy of respect or entitled to honor. It is that which inspires reverence or
awe. It describes those things which are worthy, venerable, august, noble. The
idea pertains to whatever evokes special respect.
Right (dikaios)
refers to that which conforms to the perfect standard of God's righteousness.
We know from Romans that the "good works" that God requires (they are
"right") do not come from our good intentions, but originate out of
faith that obeys. Dikaios describes
whatever is in perfect harmony with God’s eternal, unchanging standards, as
revealed in Scripture.
Pure (hagnos)
is that which is free from defilement, stainless, that which will not
contaminate, that which is "morally and inwardly" pure. The word
refers to ceremonial purity, but also to the moral purity that is pictured by
the ceremonial. It especially means keeping our bodies undefiled by abstaining
from sexual sins.
Lovely (prosphile
is a relationship word derived from
pros = towards + philes = friend)
refers to that conduct which is dear to someone. It is that conduct which is
pleasing in its motive and actions towards others. Prosphile has the idea of that which is admirable or agreeable to
behold or consider.
Pastor William Barclay writes: “Winsome is
the best translation of all. The Greek is prosphile,
and it might be paraphrased as that which calls forth love. There are those
whose minds are so set on vengeance and punishment that they call forth
bitterness and fear in others. There are those whose minds are so set on
criticism and rebuke that they call forth resentment in others. The mind of the
Christian is set on the lovely things—kindness, sympathy, forbearance—so he is
a winsome person, whom to see is to love.”
Good repute (euphemos
is from eu = well, good + pheme = rumor, fame) and refers to that
which is well–spoken of, praiseworthy, laudable, highly regarded or well
thought of. It is something or someone that deservedly enjoys a good
reputation.
Excellence (arete)
refers to any preeminence (moral, intellectual, military). Arete is a term denoting consummate ‘excellence’ or ‘merit’ within
a social context. To the Greek philosophers, it meant “the fulfillment of a
thing.” Arete came to mean quality of
life which made someone or something stand out as excellent. In short, arete was a term denoting consummate
‘excellence’ or ‘merit’ within a social context. Exhibition of arete invites recognition, resulting in
renown or glory.
Worthy of praise (epainos from epí = upon + aínos =
praise) is literally "praise upon" and denotes commendation, praise,
or approbation (an act of formally or officially approving). It means something
which is worthy of being commended. The word can describe the act of expressing
admiration or approval, praise, approval, recognition. In the present context epainos describes a thing that is
praiseworthy or something that deserves to be praised. So when that thought
comes into your mind ask "Is it praiseworthy?" Then reflect upon it.
Let…mind dwell (logizomai from lógos = reason, word, account) means to reckon, compute, calculate,
to take into account, to deliberate, and to weigh. Logizomai refers to a process of careful study or reasoning which
results in the arriving at a conclusion. Logizomai
conveys the idea of calculating or estimating. The idea is to think about
something in a detailed and logical manner. Logizomai
was an accounting term and so one gets the picture of taking all of the
truths Paul has listed regarding your thought life and putting them in the
"calculator" of your human brain, thinking about them and coming to a
conclusion, and most importantly, then letting that conclusion affect the way
you live. The present tense and imperative mood commands a continuous action, a
call to a spiritual discipline for the purpose of godliness for as a man or
woman thinks in their heart so they are.
Pastor J. I. Packer says: “Logizomai, or meditation, is the
practice of turning each truth we learn about God into matter for reflection
before God, leading to prayer and praise to God. Logizomai is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over,
and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows
about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of
holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of
God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God.”
Pastor Wayne Barber writes: “In Philippians 4:8 the whole verse
hinges on the phrase dwell on these
things. It literally means to ponder these things. The word is logizomai. It is in the present
imperative. Always be pondering these things. It means to reason something out.
To look at something and see what it is all about and how it came to be. Godly living is just not the result of a good
intention by a sincere believer.”
An old Native American Christian was explaining to a
missionary that the battle inside of him was like a black dog fighting a white
dog. “Which dog wins?” asked the missionary. “The one I feed the most,” he
replied. In Philippians 4:8
the apostle Paul
says, “Feed your mind on the pure truth of God’s Word.”
We were created to worship God. It is the reason for
our existence both here on earth and throughout eternity. Sometimes our concept
of worship is going to church one hour each week. But God desires continual
fellowship with us and wants us to live a lifestyle characterized by worship—keeping
our hearts and our thoughts fixed on Him. How is that possible? When we go
about our day delighting in the things God delights in, finding our greatest
satisfaction and joy in Him, honoring Him in all we do, and ascribing to the
Lord the glory due His name—we are worshiping God. Whether our days are filled
with changing diapers and washing dirty dishes, sitting at a computer, or
teaching, we can experience worship as a lifestyle through our thought life.
When we fulfill God’s call with joyful obedience and do our work to the glory
of God, that is true worship. Outward expressions of worship such as kneeling,
bowing, praying, and lifting hands may enhance our worship experience, but true
worship emanates from our hearts. Let us respond joyfully to God’s call to
worship. We will be blessed beyond measure as we walk all day long in the light
of His presence!
Lord Jesus, what a privilege it is to worship You! Purify my heart and my thoughts so that I can learn to worship You continually. Help me to perform all of my duties today in joyful obedience to You so that even my work becomes authentic worship—keeping my heart and my thoughts fixed on You…In Your Mighty Name we pray, amen.
Lord Jesus, what a privilege it is to worship You! Purify my heart and my thoughts so that I can learn to worship You continually. Help me to perform all of my duties today in joyful obedience to You so that even my work becomes authentic worship—keeping my heart and my thoughts fixed on You…In Your Mighty Name we pray, amen.
Look in – Meditate on Philippians 4:8. Pray to see how you
might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about
your discoveries: “Because God is ______________, I will ______________.”
Look out – Meditate on Philippians 4:8. Pray to see how you
might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact
on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.
* If
you liked this post you’ll love this book – Name Above All Names Devotional: Focusing on 26
Alphabetical Names of Christ
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