Saturday April 27, 2024

Philippians 4:8
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.

A sleeping dog makes noises, and his legs twitch—he’s dreaming, just like we do. In that sense, animals share a cognitive similarity with humans. But try handing your dog a list of house rules and asking him to think about them, and you’ll get the proverbial cocked head and blank stare.

Human beings are the only part of God’s creation that can be told to think about good things. Not that we always do—we often allow our minds to drift and wander and dwell on random thoughts that come to us without our bidding. But we do have the ability to discipline our minds to think about the kinds of things Paul suggests: truth, matters noble and just, things pure and lovely, things that come highly recommended, and virtuous and praiseworthy things. When we consider how few of those kinds of things would come to us “accidentally,” it means we must be proactive in choosing what we think about.

Your mind is a gift from God. Using it wisely is a means of expressing love for Him (Mark 12:30).

[Bring] every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
APOSTLE PAUL (2 CORINTHIANS 10:5)

David Jeremiah, Turning Points with God: 365 Daily Devotions (Tyndale, 2014)
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
*Where noted, Scripture taken from The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language®, MSG © 2005 by Eugene H. Peterson, NavPress.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.