Think On These Things

Scripture: 

Phil. 4:8   Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹ Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Observation:

Paul is now winding down his letter and coming close to the end. Before he’s finished he wants to leave them with additional instructions. This section is unique because he uses Greco-Roman moral/philosophical language in this list of items that they are to think about. While Paul has just concluded his lengthy text on following the pattern of Christ, it’s fascinating that he would borrow language from the secular world of his day. However, that seems to be specifically the point; that the person who is imitating Christ may not be of the world, but they are certainly in the world. Therefore, they are not to reject the world, but they are to observe and appreciate the things of the world that are reflective of the things of Christ. Flemming puts it this way, “Recognize the good wherever it is found and employ it in the service of Christ and the gospel.” (Flemming, NBBC, 295-296). 

Gordon Fee challenges us to think about the ways in which we engage with the world:

This text suggests a better way, that one approach the marketplace, the arts, the media, the university, looking for what is “true” and “uplifting” and “admirable”; but that one do so with a discriminating eye and heart, for which the Crucified One serves as the template. Indeed, if one does not “consider carefully,” and then discriminate on the basis of the gospel, what is rejected very often are the mere trappings, the more visible expressions, of the “world,” while its anti-gospel values (relativism, materialism, hedonism, nationalism, individualism, to name but a few) are absorbed into the believer through cultural osmosis. This text reminds us that the head counts for something, after all; but it must be a sanctified head, ready to “practice” the gospel it knows through what has “been learned and received.” (FEE, NICNT)

Ultimately, this section teaches us a great deal about what we are to be thinking about in prayer, and the depth of communion with Christ, and that from this, one is able to discern the good that is seen and experienced in society. This can “reveal a beautiful balance between right thinking and right practice” (Flemming, NBBC, 306). We are called to live out a life that is patterned after Jesus, and this must be done in the world in which we live. This is exactly what Christ did and his incarnation makes our life possible. The encouragement to continue on is to be received with the reminder that God’s peace will be with the disciples. 

Application:

I was sitting with friends the other day and one asked, “what is a sanctified imagination?” We began to ponder the creativity of God and whether that creativity could be seen in those who are not followers of Jesus Christ. If we take seriously what Paul has written here, we will begin to see the world through a different lens. We will discover that we can see God’s creativity, or imagination, in the world around us, including the secular world. 

I have had the privilege of visiting many museums throughout the world. I enjoy visiting the Nelson-Adkins art museum in Kansas City and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. A highlight of the Hermitage is to find Rembrandt’s “Return of the Prodigal Son.” Walking through the halls and appreciating the art work can be a spiritual experience. Think on these things. 

The museum in the basement of the Church of Christ the Savior has many relics related to the original church building, including a recording of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture, written for the dedication of the church. When listening to the overture as a battle where ultimately God is victorious, you will hear the church bells near the end of the song and be brought to tears. Think on these things. 

My daughters and I spent a day walking through the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. At that time they just discovered paintings which had been hidden in the basement since the second world war. This was artwork from collections of Jews who had died in the holocaust. While we were moved to see the beauty of the Monet paintings, we were also humbled to realize the fate of their owners.  Think on these things. 

We are to look on the things of the world and allow God to speak to us through them. That is why Paul encourages us to ponder the things that we encounter in this world. As long as we remain “in Christ” we can keep on, as Paul says, and the peace of Christ will be with us. Think on these things. 

Prayer:

Lord, open my eyes to see, and my ears to hear, the beauty of your creative work in this world. May I ponder them, and through them experience you in a new way. Amen.