Chapter I
I am not a good cook, which is putting it mildly. I did work in a restaurant growing up in Indiana; however, I was always following a recipe. I can remember it once took me an hour to make minute rice. Okay that was a bit of an exaggeration, yet there is a smidgen of truth to it.
We had certain dinner staple nights in my house and while my older brothers and sister found excuses to get out of the meal I was always stuck. We had spam night on Tuesdays and Bean Soup on Thursdays. I still shudder at the thought of bean soup and it is why I probably never eat pinto beans to this today. I was not allowed to leave the table until I finished or was close enough to finishing the meal. I would sit there at the table in silence staring at the meal sometimes for hours after as if it was a gunfight at the O.K. corral. “There are hungry kids in Africa,” my mom would say from the living room. However, I was almost positive that if I sent those kids the bean soups that, they would mail it right back.
My defiance at the dinner table set the stage for my lack of cooking prowess. My bad experience did not propel or motivate me to desire to be a chef, but led me to avoid the opportunity whenever humanly possible. It was the reason why I so often settled for fast meals from a clown. Often I have found that as I look into my past, I find that there are a whole host of negative experiences that I have allowed to shape my present.
I was frustrated for most of my life until I came to Philippians 4:8. The verse is not just a verse, but offers a way of life. It is a way to live life and the way to be fulfilled in career, family, and relationships. I had to memorize it in bible college, but had forgotten about the verse and the power that it could have. It was only when I decided to analyze the passage that I started to understand what it meant and how it could potentially transform me.
There is much that influences everyone today through media, friends, professors, coworkers, circumstances, and much more. I have found that if I do not prepare my mind then my day has a way of putting its influence into my life. If you do not put anything into your head then the world has a great way of doing that for you. If you wake up and grab your coffee as you rush out the door without preparing for the day then you can leave yourself open for other people’s opinions, situations to influence how to think, feel, and even act. It is a terrible way to live, and I know from experience.
A driver cuts in front as you sit in rush hour traffic and we feel the temptation to raise our fist, anger pulsating through our veins. A fellow employee leans over your cubicle and starts complaining about how the boss needs them to work the weekend and at the end of the conversation you are nodding in agreement about how unfair the boss is acting. Then we get into our car to go home and all of a sudden the once promising day is now one that is filled with frustration, anger, and bitterness, and the cherry on top is we must fight more traffic to get home.
However, life does not have to operate this way it can be dramatically different for anyone if they take the time to study and then apply Philippians 4:8. This little book was created to be a game plan for change in anyone’s life. I used this process in my life and it worked for me and I know that it can for anyone willing to try it. No matter where you are in life this little book can put things into perspective and enable you to face the day and anything life throws your way. I pray it will be a blessing to you as it was for me.
Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
Philippians is a book in the bible about joy and specifically the joy in serving Jesus. Paul writes the letter from a prison cell yet he was able to find joy in one of the worst environments. Although to understand Philippians 4:8, we should first examine 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;”
Anxiety over anything and everything was something that had plagued me for most of my life. The anxiety gained power throughout the years and even led to a panic attack while driving through Nashville on the 65 interstate. A sense of dread and terror washed over me as I edged through the downtown. My heart pounded wildly and my palms were sweaty as cars zoomed past. The passing cars got close and I gripped the steering wheel like a vice grip. My mind filled with thoughts of crashing, worry, and failure. My speed went from the 65 mph to 40 mph and I coasted to the nearest exit. In the midst of the attacks I would feel as though my head were in a fog and I was unable to escape the feelings of failure. The walls were slowly closing in on me and I was trapped. I never experienced anything like that before and yet it became apart of my everyday living. In the years since I made it a practice to avoid certain freeways and tall bridges, because the panic was too consuming. I did not know what to do, but understood that this was no way to live.
Over the years I heard sermons on how you should trust God and then all of your problems would go away. Pastors would that all you need to do is “let go and let God”. The “let go” was of any feeling or tension and then give that to God to handle. The dilemma with this strategy was that I would still worry and fret over problems in my life. I would take notes during sermons and listen closely and in the moment felt as if I could conqueror the world, but upon leaving the church I would find myself stuck back in that same moment on the Nashville freeway. When I first read Philippians 4:6, it was like a breath of fresh air to my tortured soul. However, as the years clicked by I still found myself in the midst of panic attacks.
My wife and I moved to Austin, Texas in 2013 and the anxiety followed me from California. No matter how many times I prayed and trusted in God I would find that I was in the same fog every time. I was driving on Interstate 35 when the same feeling of dread clouded my thinking and I knew the panic attack was back and started having another breakdown in the car. I did not understand what was “wrong” with me. There had to be an answer other than going on medication (I do understand that many suffer with anxiety and they should consult their physician for any issues).
My thoughts came back to Philippians 4:8 and as I read it I started to notice words that leaped off the page.
Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—meditate (think) about such things.”
When I investigated the words I realized for the first time that there was a great wealth and depth to them. I created my own plan to “think on these things,” I began watching my behavior, thoughts, and life change took root in my soul before my eyes and even my wife was surprised by the transformation. Please do not be misled it was a daily time out I took to implement “these things.” There was no quick fix or try this once to get these results.
Commit to taking time daily to set your thoughts and spend time with God. After a few weeks my wife saw the effort coming to the surface in my actions. I make it a point that no matter how busy or lack of sleep I have that is not an excuse to miss the morning set aside time. I realize it is difficult with life events, however, we get out of this life what we put in it and the same is true of our minds.
The Play calls: These Things
In many sports like football, basketball, baseball, and soccer there is a strategy to the game. The coach will often attempt to exploit the weakness of the opponent through the type of play calling. It could be a bunt situation in baseball with the runner at first base eyeing second to steal, because the catcher may not possess a strong arm to throw them out. In football it might be an overly aggressive defense and thus the offensive coordinator calls a screenplay in order to cease the advantage.
A bad play call can make the difference between a positive and negative ou
tcome. Often we allow negative thinking and harmful paradigms to prevent us from going forward and being the person Christ created us to be. Below are the plays to call to our minds in order to experience transformation.
1.True: What is Truth? Pilate asked that same question to Jesus however Pilate did not realize he was speaking with the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). The Truth is Jesus, but more specifically the Gospel or Good News about Jesus’ message of love to us through His death and resurrection on the cross.
However, let’s take this a step further and consider the truth of what God thinks of us. Often what blocks us are the lies floating around in our heads. We believe the lies and thus give them the power in our lives to control us. When the reality is that God has set us free. An example of this would be, “I could never do that…” Why not? When those words come out of our mouths or are repeated in our heads, we should ask ‘why not?’ Asking ‘why not?’ puts it on your brain to come up with a legitimate reason. Often there is not a decent reason and the statement falls. If your brain shoots back an answer that is legitimate like ‘yes do not go swimming with sharks because they might eat you,’ that is a good reason.
We carry an entire belief system about us that could be an inaccurate picture. People might consider themselves as unattractive and thus there is no confidence to go after or entertain the thought of dating. Therefore, we should check our thinking by questioning it to make sure we are not sabotaging ourselves.
2.Noble: This term is used to describe honorable character. This word is closely related with the Greek word for “holy” and thus means sacred or immaculate. Something that is noble is worthy of respect, majestic, and awe-inspiring.
I am reminded of Terry Shell, a gentleman who attended the church I grew up in. I noticed in church that Terry always held his wife’s hand. They were always together, carrying a smile across their faces. They had been married for many years and yet still after all the time together showed a genuine love and respect for one another. In observing them I came to the conclusion that I wanted a marriage that resembled something similar.
I was able to interview Terry for a Marriage class I was taking in college. He said, that their marriage was not always this way, however, he made certain choices to correct where they were heading and in an about-face he changed directions. The change enhanced his relationship with his wife and redirected the course of his life. His noble example was an inspiring lesson to me.
3.Right: Often what happens is that it becomes easy to think on the wrong “type” of behavior rather than the correct. The behavior we tend to think or set our eyes on is what we reflect in our lives. What is going on the inside always mirrors our outside. This is what I believe Paul is referring to in Romans 7 when he says he does the thing he does not want to do. But what if we could choose the way we think instead of allowing circumstances, feelings, media, and people to do our thinking then we should be writing a different story.
Paul grew up and was in a religious system based on performance, which is the backdrop of Romans 7. He strove and strived in the Jewish rigorous system of works. While he succeeded in many ways, he was also left wanting. There are two interesting verses in this context:
Romans 7:25, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature[a] a slave to the law of sin.”
Romans 8:2, “because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death.”
What is Paul saying? Through Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection we are free to live for God. Free from what? Sin. In Romans 7:25, Paul explains the dilemma by saying in his mind he serves God’s law, but in his nature he serves sin. Where does that statement fit in to our discussion? We cannot serve two masters. Therefore, we cannot leave room for both of them. There is a popular story about Cortez landing in Mexico and how he burned his ships (who knows if the legend is true). The point of the story is that, Cortez left no room to go back. He was going forward regardless of success. There was no place for defeat. There was no safety net. I believe and recognize in my own life that I have far too often been my own worst enemy.
We have the ability to do what is “right.” It goes back to what Peter said in 2 Peter 1:8, “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” What are the qualities? Check these amazing verses below:
2 Peter 1:5-7, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.”
We are saved through faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:16); however, we must add certain characteristics to our faith. They are: 1. Goodness, 2. Knowledge, 3. Self-Control, 4. Perseverance, 5. Godliness, 6. Mutual affection (or Brotherly Kindness). And 7. Love. I will expand upon these characteristics in another book, but the important element to note is that we must add these qualities to our lives. They are not just a given. God gives us the ability to live for Him, but we must add to our faith.
4.Pure: The word is used in connection with the Temple and whatever had been sanctified was considered “pure.” Proverbs 15:26 says, “The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in his sight.” The comparison is between the impurity of the thoughts of the wicked and the pure gracious words. Whatever is pure has to do with whatever is not “tainted.”
5.Lovely: This has to do with whatever people consider “lovable,” in the sense of having a friendly disposition toward. Another way to translate it would be “everything that we love.” This does not necessarily have to do with something that is considered Christian. It could involve the people, family, and relationships we love or even our pets.
The word has little to do with morality, but those around us revere the actions. Hence, it could be music, family, a book, or art. It could be going to a soup kitchen and feeding the homeless or providing an encouraging word to someone.
6.Admirable: This word represents our behavior that is spoken well by others. This is about what reputation I want others to think about me. Should I be a man after God’s heart, or someone who would take advantage of people if given the opportunity? We are either an example or a lesson in this life. Our life is an example of how to live or a lesson on what not to do. It is our choice.
7.Praiseworthy: It means conduct that is pleasing to God. Attitude is a huge part of this. The Israelites in the Old Testament days tested God when they were in the desert traveling to the Promised Land, because people would complain and grumble. They would forget how terrible their old circumstances were as slaves and instead talked about how excellent those times were. Praise should play a major role in us, because it transforms our attitude, which leads to better choices and actions.
We reflect the image of God through our thinking and actions. Our thoughts become our actions. Therefore, we must guard our thoughts or else we will reap what we sow.
Most of these “things” that Paul provides are actions that others observe in us. Again the more I think on things the more we will witness them bubbling to the surface in our actions.
Time Out: Meditate on These Things
We live in a culture that thrives on the art of being busy. Many people live full lives with both spouses working, sports with children, and keeping everyone’s schedule squared is difficult. If we are to implement “these things” in our lives then we will need to take a time out in our lives. There is an allotted amount of time outs given to each team in certain sports. The coach uses these time outs to correct, encourage and inspire the team to play better in the game. We can do the same in our lives, by taking a time out when and if we find ourselves in a st
ressful situation.
I would like to invite you to begin taking time outs in your life. You may take several during the day if you wish. A time out can be as long as five to ten minutes or as short as a minute depending on your schedule and demands. The time out is your time with God. They are opportunities for you to get yourself back into the game of life. Life throws curve balls and the circumstances on the field can be strenuous and you may feel your patience diminishing. Take a time out to follow the advice of Philippians 4:8 and think on these things. Below we will explore how you may “think on these things.”
Meditation is a word, which in our culture might make Christians cringe, because it is so closely associated with Eastern Religions. However, the Lord admonished Joshua to meditate on the book of the Law in order to have good success. In Joshua 1:8 meditate means to “ponder,” “think,” but also to “murmur.” What does that even mean? Well it is to go over and over in your mind regarding something, someone, or a place.
I can remember the first time I had my heart broken by a girl in college and I was stunned repeatedly saying, “how could this happen.” It was a rough day and even rougher for my roommates, who had to listen and console me. I found myself muttering things to myself throughout the days, and hours as I attempted to get over it.
Another way to look at it would be like the way cows eat grass. A cow has four compartments in their stomachs, which is amazing. If a cow is chewing grass in one part of the field and remembers how awesome the grass was earlier that day then he can regurgitate that grass and chew on it (disgusting I know) more in order to get all the nutrients out of it. The same way God tells Joshua to meditate on his word in order that he would be successful in conquering the land.
Therefore, the not so secret of my personal transformation was rooted in my thoughts. The way I thought even about myself was a huge problem and it produced the results that I received in my life. I made a list of the seven words that Philippians 4:8 mentions for us to “think on” and then wrote down what those things were in my life. Then I made it a habit to think about (meditate) on them. When a situation would arise where I could be stressed or worried I turned to those on that list and thought on those things. It was amazing how my thoughts were elevated to a better place.
It did not happen over night, but with God’s grace and a little work I was able to use this verse with success.
Your Play Calls
Create your own list
Write it out on a separate piece of paper or 3x5 card or here in this book. Get creative and have fun with it. Ask yourself what would you like to see more of in your life and put it through the filter of Philippians 4:8. It is ultimately your choice. If there were no road blocks in your life then what kind of person would you be?
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