THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER
"Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. " (John 5:39)

VOLUME 4, NUMBER 3, JANUARY 18, 2004

A PRESCRIPTION FOR LIFE

            In Philippians 4:8, as Paul was in the midst of bringing the Philippian letter to a close, he wrote, “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, let your mind dwell on these things.”

            In clear and plaintive language, the Apostle Paul urged the Philippian brethren to fill their thoughts with things good and holy.   How importance was this exhortation?  Jesus said in Matt. 15:19-20, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.  These are the things which defile the man…”  The Bible heart thinks – and if it is filled with thoughts of wicked and ungodly things, than wicked and ungodly conduct is what will result.

            A Christian must fill his mind with those things that are good and clean and pure, in order to keep the evil out.  Just removing the evil, without replacing it with good, is leaving an open invitation for the evil to return.  It reminds me of the Lord’s statement in Luke 11:24-26.  Jesus said, “When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, I will return to my house from which I came.  And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.  Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”  If the space is occupied the evil can’t get in as easily.

            So, Paul urges the brethren to fill their minds with things that are true.    Jesus told us in John 14:6, that He is “the truth”.  All that is true is of Him.  Bear in mind that Paul does not here refer only to words.  He points to conduct as much as to speech.  The idea is that a Christian is to embrace truth and be true in all of his endeavors – in his speech, in his thinking, in his actions.  In such a way, and only in such a way, is the Christian true to The Truth, Jesus Christ.

            He tells the brethren to fill their minds with that which is honorable and just.  The words have to do with what is noble and venerable, dignified – right in the sight of God and man, righteousness.   He is simply saying that they should think on things that are dignified and right in character, they should think about things that are worthy of honor in the sight of God and man.  There is a whole lot of today’s stuff that is going to have to be put out of our minds to fulfill this exhortation.

            Paul also wrote of filling their minds with what was pure.  The word itself means “stainless, chaste, unsullied as a pure virgin.”  He is saying that Christians have to think about things that are free from the pollution and defilement of the world.  His emphasis is upon that which is dwelt upon, where the mind is focused.

            “Whatever is lovely” is to occupy the mind of the child of God.  What does that mean?  It does not mean beautiful in the sense of a beautiful woman.  It is descriptive of that which is lovable; those things worthy of the love of a Christian.  The word itself implies that which is attractive, agreeable, amiable, and pleasing.

            Paul exhorts to dwelling upon “whatever is of good repute”.  These are things that are “auspicious, well-sounding, praiseworthy, attractive, pleasing.  “Picking up on the term ‘well-sounding’ as descriptive of the note of a tune ringing true to the previous notes, Kent describes it as ‘what rings true to the highest standards’.  We must think upon those things that will keep us in tune with God’s standard of conduct.”  These are the kinds of things that come from the contemplation of a good and holy life.  What kinds of things do you find yourself thinking about?

            Paul also wrote that “if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise”, these are the kinds of things Christians are to think about.  Paul is talking about moral excellence and things that are truly worthy of praise.  This is kind of a summary of what he has said before. 

            Brethren, these are the kind of things that Christians are to meditate upon.  These are the kind of things that we are to give serious consideration to.  A mind filled with such things has no room for the earthy, the evil, to stay in it for very long.

                                                            Greg Litmer

WHEN SOMEONE HURTS YOU

            There are two possible attitudes that can take root after being wronged by another.  One is bitterness.  Bitterness will agitate your soul and even contaminate your other relationships.  It is a destructive attitude and that is why Ephesians 4:31 tells us to put all bitterness away. 

            The other attitude is understanding.  Instead of concentrating on the one who has hurt you, as in the case of bitterness, you concentrate on the ones that you have wronged on other occasions. (If you think you have never wronged anyone, you are mistaken.  gl).  Now you know what they experienced when you hurt them.  Such an attitude gives you a better appreciation of Jesus’ rule about relationships that says, “…whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them”  (Matt. 7:12).  Being wronged can actually make you a better person, if you let it.

–Philip Mullins (Via The Manslick Road Speaker)