The bad news is that our brain tends to re-use the thoughts we frequently think. So, if we are prone to worry, it’s hard to think differently. But, the good news is that, through Jesus, our minds can be renewed into different patterns of thinking.

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Last time we considered the Holy Spirit’s invitation to peace and rest for our souls: worship, setting God in his rightful place in our hearts, then offer prayers and requests, everything permeated with thanksgiving. Worship undermines the basis of our anxieties. If we have a heart filled with gratitude, it is hard to remain anxious (though, no doubt, some people can be both thankful and anxious at the same time).

Now, Paul adds some additional instructions for rejoicing in the Lord and setting our hearts at rest:

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. ⁹ What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9, ESV)

Paul tells us to think about certain things. The word he uses for “think” could be translated “count up” or “add to the account,” or, “reckon” or, maybe, “calculate.” So, the way I like to think about this is as an additional layer to worshipping and giving thanks. Give thanks, and then also, to God’s account of praise, add whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Spend time on such things, focus your attention on them, rather than on your anxieties, or the things that make you angry and upset. Sometimes we dwell on things that bother us. We count them up: “The idiot at work is making life hard for me, and I’ve already got this health issue happening, and now on top of that, my family member is causing strife at home, and, on top of it all, the toilet quit working.” We add up, and in our minds, we go over and over such things. Paul is saying: “Try something different. Instead, count up and go over all of the wonderful things that God has blessed us with.”

We live in a culture that teaches us to do the opposite. Social media engagement literally depends upon anger, frustration and negativity in general. Seriously, if you didn’t know this, learn it now. Social media platforms figured out, more than ten years ago, that people engage more with negativity than they do with positive things. So, the algorithm that drives social media is one that amplifies disagreement, anger and negativity. You are more likely to see things that make you upset than things that make you happy, because it is designed that way.

Also, negative or not, the algorithms of today’s internet are built to capture and monopolize your attention. Even if you say, “well, I’m just watching funny cat videos,” you are still giving a great deal of your time, energy and attention to things that do not necessarily fall into the categories given to us by our text today.

The more we submit to the internet’s business model, the more our brains are molded in ways that make it hard to concentrate, and follow complex thoughts through to a well considered conclusion. We are training our brains to be mostly passive, mostly entertained, and to jump quickly away from one thought to the next.

Scripture tells us that much of our battle with the devil, and sin, and our own flesh takes place in the mind:

¹⁷ With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸ Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. ¹⁹ They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
²⁰ But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. ²¹ Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²² throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. ²³ Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. (Ephesians 4:17-23, NLT, bold format added for emphasis).

⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. ⁵ We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5, ESV, italic formatting added for emphasis)

² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2, NLT, italic formatting added for emphasis)

What we do with our minds is important. It is one of the pathways to becoming the people Jesus intends for us to be. And Paul is explaining that one way to help in the renewing of our minds is to focus on these qualities, because these things reflect the character of Jesus Christ.

Neuroscientists believe that we tend to develop habits of thought. The more we think in certain ways, the more those particular neural pathways in our brains become developed, and so it becomes easier and quicker to think in ways that we have often thought in the past. But science also shows that these pathways can be adapted and changed (roughly speaking, the fact that we can change our neural pathways is called “neuroplasticity”). Two thousand years before neuroscience, the Bible is telling us the same thing. The Holy Spirit is encouraging us to stop thinking in some of the old ways we have developed, and instead, develop new habits of thought. This requires a certain amount of discipline. We need to remember the things on which we should focus, and then focus on them. At first it is difficult. But the more we do it, the easier it becomes (remember, the neural pathways we use get easier and more habitual the more we use them).

So, I think our text today is a great antidote, not only to worry, but also to the modern assault on our attention and even our ability to think well. What shall we add to God’s account? What shall we meditate on, dwell on, that is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy?

Before we get to specifics, let’s make sure we are giving credit where credit is due. This truth, honor, justice, loveliness, excellence and so on is found in Jesus himself, to be sure. We will look at that aspect of these things a little bit further on. But the truth is, God has also scattered these excellent qualities throughout the world, and by his grace, whether they know it or not, many people demonstrate these things, even if they are not aware that they come from God. James writes:

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ¹⁸ Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:16-18, ESV)

Every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord. It sometimes comes directly from him, and sometimes it comes through secondary means, like human beings, or a wild animal, or a domestic pet. Even the good things that come through human beings originate with God. This is true, even when some human beings don’t acknowledge it to be so. The great reformer, John Calvin, wrote:

Since the perfection of blessedness consists in the knowledge of God, he has been pleased, in order that none might be excluded from the means of obtaining felicity, not only to deposit in our minds that seed of religion of which we have already spoken, but so to manifest his perfections in the whole structure of the universe, and daily place himself in our view, that we cannot open our eyes without being compelled to behold him.(John Calvin, in Institutes of Christian Religion, as quoted by Jerram Barrs, Echoes of Eden, pg 15)

That’s a mouthful, given in a kind of English that we don’t often use anymore, so let me paraphrase:

The most perfect blessing is found in knowing God. Therefore, to make sure no one is prevented from that, he has first given all people a kind of seed of faith, the ability to comprehend spiritual truth. On top of that, he reveals his perfect character to us through the entire universe, so that any time are eyes are open we are literally seeing the works of God. More from Calvin:

And, first, wherever you turn your eyes, there is no portion of the world, however minute, that does not exhibit at least some sparks of beauty; while it is impossible to contemplate the vast and beautiful fabric as it extends around, without being overwhelmed by the immense weight of glory.

Even atheist biologists acknowledge that the world looks as if it was designed. Richard Dawkins, a champion of the “new atheists” says that we must constantly remember that although everything looks as if it was designed, it was not. In other words, “don’t believe the evidence of your own senses, and your own common sense.” But scripture tells us not only to believe the wonder and design that we see in the natural world, but also to dwell on it as one way God reveals his goodness to us.

John Calvin elsewhere taught about the concept of “common grace.” What he meant by that is that God showers his goodness and grace all over the world, onto all people, regardless of whether or not all people acknowledge him. We Christians can receive God’s grace even through people who aren’t Christian. It’s not an endorsement of their lack of faith, but rather, a recognition that God can use anyone to bless anyone, if he chooses.

Let’s look at it this way. When we drive a car that is functional, attractive and fun to drive, do we need to ascertain whether or not the designers and factory workers who built the car were Christians before we can appreciate the car? Of course not! Or, if we go to a restaurant, can we only be thankful to the Lord for the food if Christian hands prepared it? Obviously, that would be silly. The gift might come to us through people and processes that do not acknowledge  God. But since we do acknowledge God, we can give thanks to him as the originator of all good things. Some of my favourite cuisine was developed by Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. Often I eat food prepared by people who follow those religions. I bet all of us have eaten and enjoyed food prepared by people who do not follow Jesus. But I give thanks to Jesus Christ for the deliciousness of the food he created, and the human creativity (which originated with Him) that resulted in such goodness.

So, let’s get specific. Think of whatever is true. I love reading books about the universe (cosmology) and learning how intricately and beautifully formed it is. I also love reading about very, very small things—molecular biology, and how wondrously made life is. Reading is one good way to train the mind to focus on things that have the good qualities Paul lists here. Above all, for truth, I love to read the Bible, and to experience those moments when the Holy Spirit shows me more of the truth in scripture.

What is honorable? One of my other intellectual hobbies is to learn more about the Second World War. In many ways, of course, it was one of the most awful times in human history. But I’ve learned that certain individuals rose to the challenge, and became worthy of honor precisely because of the adversity they faced. Two quick stories:

A Frenchwoman and her husband were part of the French Resistance, working in secret in Vichy France. The husband was captured by the authorities, but they didn’t realize his wife was also part of the Resistance. She was 8 months pregnant, and requested that her husband be moved to prison closer to where she lived. She then worked out the route that the prison truck would take, and organized a band of other Resistance members. She stood on the road with the others, and held up the truck with a submachine gun. She and her husband escaped, and the British brought them back by airplane, flying low to avoid German radar. She delivered the baby just as they touched down in England. That’s honorable!

Here’s another one. The Allies tried to fool the Germans into thinking they would not invade Sicily once they had secured North Africa. They tried a crazy idea, to put the Germans off the track, and incredibly, the ruse worked! The Germans kept many divisions in the Balkans, apparently thinking the invasion might be there, and so the invasion of Sicily was a success. Later on, the Allies tried to fool the Germans again, this time into believing that the invasion of the Normandy peninsula in France was only a diversion, while the main invasion was still  to come, elsewhere. Somehow, the Germans fell for it, and kept vitally important divisions far from the fighting until it was too late to throw the Allies off the beaches. It wasn’t until years later that it was discovered that the German Colonel in charge of Military Intelligence for the Western Theatre was a Christian, and secretly opposed Hitler. He was not fooled by the trickery of the Allies either time, but he pretended he was, and convinced the German High command he was right. He did so in order that the Allies would be successful, and the evil of Hitler ultimately stopped. He eventually fell under suspicion, and paid for it with his life, but he died full of faith in Jesus and the life to come. That’s honorable! Think on such things!

Whatever is just. I have to admit, this is one area of my own thought life where I need to grow. Injustice, maybe especially petty injustice, really bothers me, and I often don’t see where justice is being done. Maybe someone reading this can come up with a good example. The best example, which we’ll come to in a moment, is Jesus himself.

What is pure? An untouched mountain stream. A little baby. Sometimes a musical strain will strike me as deeply pure. Think on such things!

Lovely? Many people are lovely. Scenery can be lovely. A gift from a friend, or an afternoon with someone you love can be deeply lovely. Think on such things!

What is commendable? Another way to put it is “worthy of a good reputation.” Some of the examples I gave above from the second world war would qualify for this one as well. We all probably know at least one person who quietly lives life with integrity. That’s commendable. We know people who had every right to be angry, or take revenge—but they didn’t. That’s commendable. Think on such things.

In Greek, the last two are probably “umbrella terms” meant to cover everything Paul is talking about. The word “excellent” really means “morally excellent.” So, anything that falls under the umbrella of moral excellence, or anything that is worthy of praise—dwell on such things. Turn them over and over in your mind, and dwell on them. Develop a habit of thinking about such things.

Jesus himself is the ultimate expression of all of these qualities. Jesus is not only true, but he himself said he was the truth. He is honorable—he made the ultimate sacrifice, even though he didn’t have to. He obtained justice for our sins, while also remaining pure himself. He is lovely, commendable. All moral excellence, all praiseworthiness is to be found in Jesus. So, if you find yourself struggling to think on the wonderful things God scatters throughout the world, think about Jesus himself, and how he literally embodies all of these qualities.

Paul wraps up this section with the final exhortation:

⁹ What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:9, ESV)

Remember, we talked about what it means to be a role model a few messages ago. Unlike basketball star, Charles Barkley, we are to live in such a way that others are encouraged by our example. Paul certainly lived that way, and he wasn’t shy about telling Christians who were younger in the faith to follow his example. What you have seen and heard about in other Christians that is morally excellent or praiseworthy—practice such things, even when the people you are imitating are not perfect. Remember also, that through the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus wants to live his life through us. He wants to show the world what he is like through our own, specific lives.

So, above all, fix your mind on Jesus Christ. Let him be the center of your thoughts, and many wonderful and excellent things about him. Once again, when we practice this, we leave less room for anxiety and frustration. When we practice it, we make room for him to live out these wonderful qualities through us.