Verse of the Day 4/8

Verse of the Day 4/8

Philippians 4:8-9   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.    English Standard Version (ESV)

There are many verbs, action words,  used in the Bible to give us guidance what we are to do as Christians; go; seek; ask, pray; teach and many others.  Regarding God's Word we are told to meditate on these things.  I read the following quote about today's verses and it made me stop and think.

Robert Morgan writes, " Out of the thirty-two words in that sentence, only one is an action verb, and it's the key word of the verse and the sole imperative — think......We have to call to mind the truths we need. We have to take control of our thoughts and stop listening to ourselves and start talking to ourselves. We have to preach to ourselves, lecture ourselves, exhort ourselves. In short, we must go on to the next verse in Paul's prescription for a better life — the practice of thinking."

One definition of "think" that you will find in a dictionary is "direct one's mind toward someone or something; use one's mind actively to form connected ideas".  For us as Christians, that "Someone" is God, through His Word and in prayer.  Doing so will lead  us to think on the things mentioned in the verses.  Then, what we have learned, received, heard and seen (all action words) in Christ; we are to put these things into practice.  But it starts with our thinking.

Where will your thought processes lead you today?  May they be towards God and His Word, think about these things, "use our minds to form connected ideas" about the things you will hear in today's services and act upon them.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Philippians 4:4-9 The Message (MSG)

^4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

^6-7 Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

^8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.