Paul told his beloved friends in Philippi: “You’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse” (Philippians 4:8, The Message).
As a meditative exercise, I decided to choose one event, object, or truth which embodied adjectives from this verse. Which examples below are similar to choices you would make? What might you select that would be different?
One important truth:
“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
That one was rather obvious, wasn’t it. The veracity and certainty of eternal life colors every moment of life with peace and joy. How incredibly splendorous!
One supreme example of nobility:
First, a definition. Nobility includes qualities of high moral character such as honor, generosity, and courage.
I have been blessed and influenced by many noble people. Any one of them would be worthy to contemplate and hold up as an example: family members, pastors, Sunday School teachers, youth group leaders, missionaries, colleagues, friends.
So if I stick my hand into an imaginary hat filled with their names on slips of paper, I might pull out…M. and L.
M. lost his job unfairly and in a hurtful way. But they persevered through that dark time with honor and courage. These two are also known for generosity and hospitality, in their church community and beyond.
One person of good repute:
Again, I have to put my hand into that hat and pull out . . .
…Rachel Asherman, my grandmother. To this day her grandchildren arise and call her blessed (Proverbs 31:28), because of her kind, gracious ways. Everyone loved Grandma Rachel.
One example of holy authenticity:
The Bible. How grateful I am for the reliability of God’s Word—filled with wisdom, promises, and encouragement. The more I learn of archaeology, prophecy, history, and creation science, the more astounded I am by the great volume of proof upholding its authenticity.
One item that demands compelling attention:
An impossible choice! As I contemplate towering mountains and tiny snowflakes, colorful flowers and majestic trees, soaring birds and fluttering butterflies, radiant rainbows and ethereal sunbeams, crashing waves and delicate seashells…my heart is filled with wonder and appreciation. And yet there is so much more!
God created such astounding beauty to display his attributes to us. With his power he carved out ocean beds. In wisdom he designed the evaporation cycle. With creative genius he splashed color over the earth–even out into the galaxies. His engineering prowess is highlighted in a honeycomb, and his artistry in a rose.
“The whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3)!
So where might that glory be most evident? Perhaps at the birth of a baby, when the little one takes that first breath of life and greets everyone with a wobbly cry. And surely there is glory in that moment when the parents first glimpse this new little person who will forever be entwined around their hearts.
Who is not compelled to give attention to that wonder? “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4)!
One example of graciousness:
A dear friend, Dixie, died of a brain tumor a number of years ago. Her treasure of life stories included great heartache, but you wouldn’t have known that to look at her. Dixie seemed to live in a cloud of contentment and peace, never showing anger, never gossiping, never complaining. Her example is still an encouragement to me today.
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Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the bounty of beautiful things and inspiring people you have brought into my life. Meditation on all your blessings can keep me happily occupied for hours!
But you have ordained greater purpose in the exercise, because there is power generated by our thoughts. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart,” Jesus said, “. . . for out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).”
That means the more I meditate on your goodness, the more goodness will come out of my mouth. And the more goodness that comes out of my mouth, the more will be evident in my life, because a man [woman] reaps what [s]he sows (Galatians 6:7).
May I make choices, moment by moment, that will demonstrate the overflow of your Spirit.
Top choices.
(Photo credits: http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.pexels.com; http://www.commonswikimedia.org; http://www.flicker.com; http://www.whattoexpect.com.)
