The "good thoughts" to focus on for a better world (Phil.4:8)

God gives us lots of great things to think about and look forward to when we know Him. We should be the most joyous people of all. This is why I've said we must focus on the positive and share what we are for,  not just what we oppose. The world loves to be negative, but we have a message of unconditional love to give people.

As stated before, God doesn't want to ruin our fun. God wants to enhance it. Jesus came that we might have life and life more abundantly.(John 10:10) So, when God's Word gives a list of things to think about, he is showing he wants us to have the maximum possible true enjoyment, not the false joy of the devils things.

This is why at the end he lets it all out in Philippians 4:8. If there is any virtue at all, if there is any praise at all, go ahead and think about these things. There are so many things that are wholesome, good-natured, and so on, which we can focus on.

Of course, we did not always do this effectively. However, society was much more wholesome way back when, and when we are committed to calling on the Lord to heal our broken country in repentance revival, He will help us and save us. But we should do our part in working to focus on the things mentioned and trust Him to help us to continue to do so, to be our strength when we struggle..

This is only one reason why Philippians 4:8 is so helpful. The importance of the thinds mentioned for a repentance revival will be apparent. These are things it can be hard, with our fleshly nature, to focus on ourselves, especially with the world so filled with the opposites. Yet, with God's help we can, and as we fill our hearts with them more it will be easier.

The verse starts with "finally." What came before is important but this starts a new thought. God the Holy Spirit inspired this to be written so we could see that by focusing on the items we would really benefit. These things help create the peace that passes understanding of the previous verse, the confidence that "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me," and so on because we focus on them. (As I've mentioned, using the terms in the KJV)

The first listed to think on is whatsoever things are true. It is wonderful to know that in all the problems of this world, there is absolute truth you can rely on. There is absolute love, for instance, unconditional love that we know God has for us. Then, there are facts such as this: You are fearfully and wonderfully made. What a great truth to think about when tempted to compare yourself to someone else. Our looks are fleeting, but God looks at the heart and He can help you to have a heart that is more loving, kind, gentle, and many other wonderful things.

Indeed, to have that peace that passes understanding, we can focus on that promise and many other promises that God has for us when we trust in Him. The world tries to tell us to conform to it and its standards with all the vulgarity and meanness and cruelty. however, we know we can focus on God and His Word and be sure of His truth. Being honest, not cheating, putting others first, and so on will pay off even if such things don't right away.

Things which are honest are listed next as things to think about. What is the difference between that and things that are true? The "true" part focused more on absolutes like I discussed above and on God's promises. "Honest" refers to personal honesty, not deceiving people but always being a person of your word. Lying and cheating have become far too common in society, and we should be different. As we pray for God to heal this nation - and this is one big area where it must begin with us - the Holy Spirit will convict more and more people in their consciences, even the unsaved, and society will be more honest, forthright, etc..

The next part, whatsoever things are just, reminds me of a few other posts on how we have neglected to do justice so much in our country. We are supposed to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God(Micah 6:8), but, but we struggle because of our sin nature causing us to focus on ourselves. Thankfully, we must simply commit ourselves to doing it and then letting God change our hearts so that we can. The four C's of making Godly choices which have been spoken to youth are just as important to adults. 1. Consider the choice. 2. Compare it to God's Word. 3. Commit to Godly principles. 4. Count on God's protection and provision.

Ravi Zacharias notes that perfect justice is one of those absolutes that everyone has in mind. This is where Romans 2 talks about how everyone has some idea of justice in their minds, and one thing that condemns us is that we do not adhere to our own ideals of justice in every case. The fact that there are so many different ones shows why that perfect justice must come from God, because otherwise two people can have very opposing views of what is just.

Perfect justice requires that there be a penalty for sim.

Thankfully, God's perfect love was also present at the cross,  so as Mr. Zacharias says, perfect laws, perfect goodness, perfect evil, and perfect justice came together there, when thankfully Jesus Christ took our punishment, dying on the cross for our sin and rising from the dead, so we could call on him for salvation and have that wonderful relationship with God He wants us to have. What an awesome Savior! Anyone can call on Him right now to be saved from sin if they haven't.
 

Of course, it is not just that we should think about, but as noted first, the justice that should be done to everyone. Because, God truly sees everyone as equal before the cross,but we should do what's right and just for others, too.

The next one is something that our society struggles with perhaps more than any of the others.

We should focus on whatsoever things are pure.

The word actually means without stains, without interference from sin. We all sin and come short of the glory of God, of course, but there was a wholesomeness to life in the past, not just to entertainment. We need the Lord to return to us the joys of it by trusting Him to make that change in our hearts.

This is where the way our culture uses it is creates a huge importance for us to think on things that are pure to have repentance revival. 

Our culture makes too much of the sensual. There are many reasons for this, and to keep this family friendly, I'll just discuss things in general and how they show thinking about pure things is better. After all, there is a wonderful, wholesome place for one aspect of it, and that is between a married couple, just as a lawnmower is a wonderful tool to cut the grass but is not meant for trimming hedges or deadheading geraniums.

First, the Greeks have four words for love - I go into detail about them in this blog on another blog on this site. If we focus only on the external we miss out on the deeper, more lasting,  forever love that is unconditional.

That often can be traced to a lack of such unconditional love early. It doesn't have to come from those connected biologically, though it should. When some people feel they've missed that they turn to the superficial rather than to God's unconditional love, just like the woman at the well(John 4) kept turing to men till she met the Saviour, Jesus.

Jesus will fill all those holes in their hearts if they just turn to Him, however. And, when people respond to His Spirit's wooing, He can work in those people to be the family they never had to one who craves such love. Or, just friends who fill little needs, those best friends forever who a person can turn to if they don't feel like going to family and who can be like family.

Some, of course, simply fall for youthful lusts the way David did. King David doesn't seem to have had family problems except for brothers who taunted him, but even that wasn't as bad as some people have. Also, some brothers do that because they want their youngest brother to succeed through very hard work. It is even possible that his brothers tried to warn him away from the battle with Goliath to protect him. So, his home life was probably pretty good. Suffice it to say that there is a reason the Bible warns so heavily to flee youthful lusts. They can become very addictive and even rewire the brain if one is not careful, just like any addiction, even for someone from a very healthy background. This includes not looking at certain things, and also being modest in appearance.

This is because there is an element of selfishness in those "lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life" that 1 John 2:16 warns about. They cause people to only want what they can use for themselves and not how they can help and give to others; true love is ultimately all about giving, not getting. I've mentioned in several posts that is one of the big problems in our society, one that God must heal for us to have repentance revival, which means confessing and forsaking any and ourselves and then in our nation as a whole.

Instead, think on things that are pure. This lets you to focus on that unconditional love and to keep your mind on things of God. It allows you to focus on giving, which is more blessed than getting anyway. It also causes you to stop worrying about yourself and put your mind on following the Lord and His perfect wisdom and plan for your life. God will provide someone special in His time for those without someone. But, the Bible says being single is a gift also, because one can focus totally on Him.

There are many other things that can be included in things that are pure, however. Pristine, beautiful nature, for instance is so wonderful to observe. It is exquisite. It is lovely.

We should think on whatsoever things are lovely. The above is not the only thing that is lovely. It is just something that more people might think about nowadays.

When we think about things that are lovely, we think about anything that produces the right kind of pleasure. the kind that brings great joy internally that lasts, instead of the very temporary things involved in what came in the examples before.

The best things in life are free, such as that unconditional love. Every good and perfect gift cometh from above, from the Father of lights.(James 1:17) Also among those lovely, precious things are the Fruit of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) such as love, joy, peace, longsuffering(patience), temprance(self-control),etc.. Those are thigns that last. Money, fame, etc. are fleeting. It is those warm, family memories, those joyous occasions, that are lovely and should be focused on. This, in turn, helps us to avoid focusing on the bad - the fights, the battles, and so on.

Whatsoever things are of good report is sort of a general, catch-all phrase that captures whatever wasn't mentioned before. I suppose a wonderful, home-cooked meal or your favorite food at your favorite restaurant could be called lovely, but I tend to think of it as more of what fits here. "good report" just means that it is something that causes one to grow in favor with Godly people, to increase in reputation as a person who is reliable, dependable, hard working, and so on - all things that allow God to use them more and more for greater and greater things.

King David, for instance, had a couple things that prepared him for killing the giant, Goliath. One was that he obeyed in taking meals to his brothers in the field. That showed a caring servant's heart. He had also killed a lion and a bear that were trying to get at their father Jesse's sheep.

When it comes to entertainment, getting back to a previous subject, a "good report" can still be comical or involve a mistake, but it will be one with humility. My great grandmother lived to be 95, and she always said the secret to long life was "at least one good belly laugh a day." but, that involved good, clean humor, not crass, vulgar stuff that belittles people. I love laughing at my own mistakes nd making fun of when iImisunderstand things, because I have lots of self-confidence, I know that when i mess up it doesn't mean I'm some awful person.

So, it's really just humility. having fun with life instead of being so critical about everything. A teenager who called my office had that. He was trying to call a consulate in a foreign country, but did a country code wrong and so when he asked for that consulate, having had this happen to me once before, I started laughing and told him what he'd done. Now, had he been sad I would not have gone further but reassured him, but because he started laughing, too, I went on and said, "Your friends are going to tease you so much."(He was there with some sort of school group.) We both had a very good, lighthearted laugh over his "7,000 mile wrong number" as we spoke for a moment before he hung up. To this day, several years later, I'm sure that he looks back on it with his friends and laughs, and it has become part of their shared experience. It is something of good report, an honest mistake that was a real whopper, which ultimately showed that we are only human. We need to know when to be serious but also to look at the bright side of life and accept when thigns come our way that are not what we expect.

So, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. Like the above, this is a catch-all term that means to focus on that positive. Accepting our failings with humility

There are plenty of things that have praise from the world's viewpoint, but of course this is praise from God's perspective. Still, as noted, that covers a wide range of things. There is a wonderful list of things we can focus on while staying sober, laughing, having fun, and so on.

So, instead of covering the world with meanness, vulgarity, anger, sensual stuff, and so on, focus on the things which build others up, which last forever. Focus on the positive. And, focus on the things of God - the promises of comfort, peace that passes understanding, etc..

Because, God wants you to be more confident and positive. He says so in His Word - a merry heart workth good like a medicine.(Prov.17:22)