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NASB | Philippians 4:8 ¶ Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Philippians 4:8 ¶ Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God's word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. |
Bible Question:
It may be that we are to try to see the things that are true, or honest, or just, or pure, or lovely, in every situation. In other words: Focus on the good parts. Note Titus 1:15: "Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled". Still, what are the specifics here? What are some examples? The woman is an unwed mother. What is the good part? She just got saved. She's attending church. She's taking care of the child. There is something virtuous in her that we can focus on. Is Phil 4:8 not asking us to focus on the good part? Was Jesus not focusing on the good part of Mary's behavior as she sat at his feet and listened to his words? Is that not an example to us? And is it not an example of something good to think on? If so, what are some other examples? |
Bible Answer: People in our Saturday fellowship suggested other examples: a baby, a square deal, a helping hand, an act of kindness, a confession, a reunion, self-sacrificing love, a comforting word. They thought those things were lovely and could be honest, or just or pure, and that we could be glad to share what we had been thinking about them. There might be virtue in such thinking and sharing. They were not sure how praise was involved and there was not time enough to discuss it. They did seem encouraged that there were so many positive things to think about. However, they were also concerned about the spiritual needs of the church and spent some time praying about that. I came away with three more things to think on: Their faithfulness, their love, and their sense of hope. |