PHILIPPIANS 4:8-9
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9What you have learnede and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
TEN POINTS TO PONDER
- Scientists estimate that we think at least 60,000 thoughts every day. We cannot CONTROL everything that finds it way into our mind, but we must DECIDE what we will do with them.
- 2 Corinthians 10:5 instructs us to “take every thought captive”. This is possible, but it requires intentionality and preparation.
- Four verses earlier, Paul taught to rejoice in everything and be anxious about nothing. This requires a mindset shift. It requires me to think intentionally instead of instinctively when bad stuff comes my way.
- The only way to think intentionally in difficult moments is to prepare your mind in the routine moments.
- In every moment, I can choose to look for and think about the things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy.
- The wrong things to think about are speculative, demeaning, one-sided, immoral, ugly, secretive, half-hearted, and divisive.
- Jesus is the embodiment of all of these virtues. If I want to fill my mind with them, I should fill my mind with Him.
- The cross is the opposite of all these virtues. The cross doesn’t teach us to ignore what is wrong. It teaches us that what is wrong never gets the final say.
- Paul wasn’t just theorizing here. He had lived this truth and had experienced the blessing of this mindset. Through all of his struggles and tribulations, he learned that he could do all things through Christ and by taking the mind of Christ.
- In verse 9, Paul describes God as the “God of peace.” Because God is peace, the closer we draw to Him, the more we will experience true peace.
GOOD INGREDIENTS = AMAZING OUTCOMES
Marianne bakes amazing chocolate chip cookies. She has the whole process down to a science. A while back, we needed to make a batch of cookies and she didn’t have time, so she asked me to make them. She gave me her recipe and left me on my own.
They turned out ok. Not great. Edible.
She understands better than I do the perfect ratios in the ingredients. She has a deeper and more accurate experience with the recipe because she has made the cookies so many more times than I do.
Simply put, the better you understand and utilize the ingredients, the better your final product will be.
Do you understand the proper ingredients to bake a spiritually healthy life? Paul gave us a recipe in Philippians 4:8.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
This verse follows Paul’s instructions to not be anxious or fearful about anything. His main point is that we need to fill our minds with God’s ingredients instead of the world’s ingredients.
Take a moment and think about how you fill your mind.
- What radio shows or podcasts do you listen to?
- What do you watch on TV or Netflix?
- Which movies do you go to?
- What thoughts fill your imagination?
- What music is on your playlist?
- With whom do you have the longest conversations?
- Whose advice do you most often follow?
- Which books shape your decisions?
- What events do you replay in your mind?
- What conversations do you dwell on?
Now apply Philippians 4:8 to all these inputs. The ingredients with which you fill your mind will determine whether or not you honor God with your life.
Before you go to bed tonight, take a moment and evaluate how well you filled your mind during the day. Then take a couple minutes and refill yourself with the truth of God (read your Bible, meditate on a verse you know, give thanks for His presence, provision, promises, and power).
Every morning, plan intentionally to fill your mind with ingredients that lead to hope, peace, joy, righteousness, faith, and love.
Bake a life that pleasing to God!
Click on the image to download the DiscipleQuest PDF
The DiscipleQuest PDF includes 7 days of verse study prompts. You can use these seven studies to dig deeper into what the Bible teaches about thinking (you’ve probably seen some of these before, but it’s worth taking a fresh look!):
- Proverbs 14:15
- Romans 12:2
- 2 Corinthians 10:5
- Psalm 119:5
- Romans 8:5-6
- Philippians 2:5
- Proverbs 4:23
Use these questions as journal prompts or as conversation starters with a group of friends or a Bible study group:
Read Philippians 4:8-9. What are the 3 most meaningful words in these verses for you? Why?
At the end of verse 8, Paul says, “think on these things”. What is the difference between noticing something and thinking deeply about it? Why does this matter?
Philippians 2:5 also talks about our mindset. How does that teaching fit together with Philippians 4:8?
In verse 9, Paul says to “practice these things”. What is the connection between how we think and what we do?
Walk through the eight virtues of Philippians 4:8 (true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy). Which is the easiest one for you to apply? Which is most difficult? Why?
How does the world promote a completely opposite way of thinking than what is described in this verse? Give some specificis.
Talk about Jesus is reflected or described in each of the eight virtues of Philippians 4:8.
Which is easier? Thinking ABOUT Jesus all the time or thinking LIKE Jesus all the time? Why?
2 Corinthians 10:5 says to take everything thought captive. One is one recurring thought you struggle with that needs to be taken captive? How can you apply the list in Philippians 4:8 to this thought pattern?
What is one simply action you can take every day to intentionally prepare yourself to “think on these things”?
PHILIPPIANS: Line by line
Philippians 4:8-9: Think on these things
8a. Finally
Paul begins with the word “finally” which is an indication that what he’s about to say is directly tied to everything he has said in the letter already. He’s repeatedly called the Philippians attention to the importance of their mindset, and now he is going to give some very practical advice to help them change and control their mindset.
We can also understand “finally” to be a reference to what he has just said in chapter 4. He may be suggesting that a mind focused on these eight virtues is the remedy for conflict, for discouragement, and for anxiety.
8b. brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise…
This list is more than just good things to think about. This is a list that can guide our response when struggles and difficulties come our way, and this list is a description of Jesus. Everything on this list can be applied to Him.
Practically, this list can help us be intentional in the manner we prepare our mind. This list can remind us what to look for and think about in the dark days. This list can empower us to rejoice in everything and to be anxious for nothing. Also, this list can enable us to assume the mind of Christ.
Many great definitions of these virtues have been written. My contribution below is a series of questions we can ask to identify whether or not our thinking filter is aligned with Paul’s list:
- True – Am I thinking about this accurately? Or am I choosing to focus on something that might not even be true?
- Honorable – is this elevating or degrading the conversation?
- Just – Am I seeing this from all perspectives? Not just the comfortable way or convenient way?
- Pure – Do I want my pastor or my grandparents to know I’m thinking about this?
- Lovely – Is this worth pausing and looking at? Does it fill me with gratitude and awe?
- Commendable – I don’t need to criticize. How can I complement?
- [special note] We could look at the last two on this list as a summary of the first six. Paul says “if there is anything…” which may be a clue that the first six are excellent and praiseworthy.
- Excellent – Does this reflect the character of God? Does it encourage me to do my work hard and do my best?
- Praiseworthy – Does this highlight God’s goodness in my life? Would I be excited to share this openly? Does it point worship to Jesus?
8c. think about these things.
Some things you notice, some things you study, and some things you replay in your mind. The kind of thinking Paul describes here is the third. It is something we are to do and keep doing. Our mindset should be prepared by setting aside time to think on these things, and it should be defined by choosing to intentionally think about these rather than instinctively thinking like the world.
9a. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me
Paul’s life was an example of this kind of thinking. When Paul was in Philippi at the beginning of this church, he was falsely accused, beaten and imprisoned. His response was to sing hymns and pray. Even though he was writing this letter from prison, he reminded the Philippians that he was grateful that God used his imprisonment for good. In his letter, he mentioned people who were mistreating him, but expressed gratitude that God was using it for good. Paul was himself a brilliant example of thinking on these things even when life was difficult.
9b. practice these things
In verse 8, Paul says “think on these things”. Here he says “practice these things”. This is a reminder that following Christ is not just a mental or academic exercise, it is a lived experience. Secondly, this is a reminder that our actions are always driven by our thoughts. Whatever we fill our minds with will eventually work its way out in our actions. Therefore, if you want your life to look like Jesus’, then your thoughts must look like Jesus’.
9c. and the God of peace will be with you
In verse seven, Paul mentions the peace of God. Here he changes to the God of peace. He is drawing our attention to the presence of God. This is not an outcome of our right thinking, it is motivation to think right. He is reminding us that God is present with us all the time. His peace is accessible to us all the time. The only reason we don’t experience the peace of God is because we are not relying on the God of peace. When we change our mindset, we open ourselves to what the God of peace is offering.
Lake Bible Notes 
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