Thoughts That Lead To Actions
Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)
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. 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.
When I look at the news and hear about all that is going on both locally and globally, I am often saddened by what appears to be unjust, impure, or untrue. I am sure I am not alone in this. And I would imagine the Philippians felt the same way about some of the things happening in their world. Maybe this is part of why Paul says, in the previous verse we looked at yesterday, that God will guard our hearts and minds.
We know that as Christians, our peace comes directly from God. The incredible knock-on effect of this peace is that it has the power to transform our thoughts, which then inform and transform our actions. In other words, the driving force that empowers us to fix our thoughts on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy is the peace of Christ dwelling in our hearts. It is a symbiotic process.
Through Jesus, our minds are actively being transformed. But – as I’m sure we’ve all noticed – it doesn’t happen overnight; it is ongoing. Does this mean we have to turn a blind eye to the injustices of the world because we're not yet fully 'transformed'? Quite the opposite! Instead, by asking the Spirit to renew our minds and by spending time in the Bible, we can lead lives of worship and care for others for the glory of God as we grow. The Lord’s peace and power can enable us to love both our Creator and our neighbour better by focusing on what is true, admirable, just, pure, lovely, noble, excellent and worthy of praise.
Prayer - Dear God, thank you for the gift of your peace and for the Spirit’s mind-renewing power. Please help me dwell on things that honour you and serve others.