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Announcer (00:00:01): It is time to think about the Bible like you never have before. This is Christian Questions. After this episode, go to ChristianQuestions.com to check out other episodes, Bible study resources, videos, download the CQ app and more. Today's topic is, "We Are What We Think About. So What Are We Thinking About? (Part II)" Coming up in this episode, do we act like the Christians we claim to be? If not, the core issue is not cleaning up the way we act. It's addressing and changing the way we think. In our last episode, we opened up Paul's "think on these things" list. Now we delve into the practicality of how to think like the Christians we are called to be. Here's Rick, Jonathan and Julie.

Rick (00:00:42): Welcome everyone. I'm Rick. I'm joined by Jonathan, my co-host for over 20 years, and Julie, a longtime CQ contributor is also with us. Jonathan, what is our theme scripture for this episode?

Jonathan (00:00:54): 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, if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

Rick (00:01:11): As a Christian, taking the time to understand what we think about is a worthy and necessary investment of our time and effort. When you look at anyone who is truly successful at any endeavor, you will always find that one of the common denominators of their success is controlling their minds. In Part One of this two-part series, we spent considerable time piecing together the groundwork that the Apostle Paul laid out as a basis for productive Christian thinking. He understood the demands of Christianity and cared enough about his fellow disciples to teach us not only what he knew but how to apply that knowledge. One major result of his spiritual wisdom was the letter that he wrote to the Philippians.

Julie (00:01:58): Let's do a brief recap of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Philippian church. He wrote this letter while under Roman house arrest, and it's one of those so-called "prison letters" of Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. In this letter to the Philippians, he focuses on the necessity of thinking about and processing all our experiences on a spiritually mature level, and not through our emotions or our own human conclusions. So let's recap several important points from the first two chapters of Philippians.

Jonathan (00:02:29): Paul expressed his confidence in his brethren within the context of his own imprisonment.

Julie (00:02:34): He shared his spiritually positive perspective in spite of his physically limiting experience in prison.

Jonathan (00:02:42): He revealed a significant spiritual dilemma of true and mature discipleship.

Julie (00:02:47): He then admonished the brotherhood towards unified behavior.

Jonathan (00:02:51): In our unity, he taught us to respect those in the brotherhood as being above ourselves.

Julie (00:02:56): He urged us to have this spiritually sound behavior extend outside of the brotherhood.

Jonathan (00:03:02): As examples, Paul drew attention to Timothy and Epaphroditus. Both were living testimonies of the highest examples of Christian brotherhood to all, and especially to Paul himself.

Rick (00:03:14): So Paul, in these first couple of chapters of Philippians, lays out a lot of groundwork and he puts a lot of practicality out on the table. He shows us the things we should be doing, the things we should be focusing on. He shows us examples and he concludes this first part of this letter with very simple words. In Philippians 3:1, he says, "Finally, my brethren" (which means he's concluding something), "Finally, my brethren rejoice in the Lord." So he has got this section of, here are practical things in life, and here are some practical examples of how to deal with them. Chapters 3 and 4 get personal and further get practical as Paul focuses us on our thinking, and here is we want to really, really, really hone in because he's focusing us on how to think.

Julie (00:04:05): Paul shifted gears from what we can control to those things we cannot control and admonished us to be watchful.

Jonathan (00:04:12): Paul then gave pointed examples of his own past levels of perceived success and compared them with the present opportunities of Christian enlightenment.

Julie (00:04:22): He focused that thoughtful comparison on actions necessary to attain true Christian reward.

Jonathan (00:04:28): He called us to the same action that he is dedicated to, while warning us to remain observant.

Julie (00:04:35): Paul then got personal with the principles of our Christian foundation. Clearly stated, each of us need to personally and individually live up to these highest of standards.

Jonathan (00:04:46): After briefly naming names, Paul went on to briefly recap some of his most important points of Christian thought in life as he gave his readers powerful spiritual comfort.

Julie (00:04:58): Paul next introduces his second ending of this letter, starting with the conclusion of "finally," and this ending is the beginning of what we're going to focus on our thinking on as true Christians. One of my favorite scriptures, 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." So here Paul gives us a list of eight things to help us focus and elevate our thoughts.

Rick (00:05:30): We have the list, we have the practicality, we have the examples, we have all of this as a basis. So as we go back to this list, in Part II of our two-part series, we want to review the "how" before we review the "what." So just before we get into the list, two more things. First of all, Jonathan, let's go to the end of Philippians 4:8:

Jonathan (00:05:52): "Finally, brethren, whatever is true...dwell on these things."

Rick (00:05:58): The whole key to everything is "dwell on these things." Not just say, these are really nice, boy, this is inspiring me, I like this! Now that's all good, but to dwell on these things is a deep rooting of the practicality and reasonability of these things. It's not emotion; it is clarity in thought. It's like an Excel spreadsheet that's for numbers. Numbers are solid and true. "Dwell on these things." Let these things be absolute guiding principles--not feelings, principles-- in our Christian walk. So Jonathan, as we think about thinking in this brief recap, what do we have so far?

Jonathan (00:06:43): A Christian's thinking is to be intentional. Ideally, it is not to be swayed by the ever-changing circumstances and emotions of life. Rather, it is to be a focused, calculating, and discerning process. Let us think before we act.

Rick (00:07:00): We need to understand that our Christianity is built on not a sense of something, but the reality of something that we have to build upon. "Dwell on these things." Now, this is like the great introduction, okay, what do we dwell on? Not so fast, not so fast. Before doing a quick review of what is true, honorable, right, and pure and so forth, we're going to add another dimension to the dwelling on these things, and this is an important addition picking up from last week.

Julie (00:07:34): Heads up, we're going to peel back this onion of what looks to be just calming phrases to see how vital this list of eight things is in our Christian walk. So let's go to Romans 12:1-2, and see how this ties in.

Jonathan (00:07:46): Starting with verse 1: "Therefore," oh wait, hold on. What's the "therefore," there for? When a verse starts out this way, it's telling us because of what was just said, we now can base these next statements upon what we have learned. In Romans 11, the Apostle Paul was telling the Gentile converts who were called to follow Jesus, and Paul warns them to be merciful to others based on this gift and not to look down on the Israelites that lost the privilege to represent Messiah. The nation rejected Christ and the Gentiles were invited in. Paul said, don't be conceited with an improper attitude, or this can be taken away from you too, because God will once again and has shown mercy to Israel and there is more mercy to come. Well back to Romans 12:1: "Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."

Julie (00:08:51): This short scripture tells us a lot. He calls them brethren; "I urge you, brethren." So this isn't a calling for sinners to repentance, but repentant sinners who have already accepted Jesus as their savior. And Jonathan, you read, "...present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice." This goes way beyond just believing in Jesus. There's an action required, and it's one that's not going to come naturally. Hence that urging. This goes way beyond just the belief. It's living a sacrificial life. We give up our own will to do that which God and Jesus would have us to do. And it's the required action of a new creature.

Jonathan (00:09:26): And we get that expression from 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are new."

Rick (00:09:40): This is about changing. This is about changing what your entire existence is all about. "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable." Now this, like you said, Julie, this living sacrifice is what we're called to do, but it's very unnatural. It is not something that you just naturally like, oh, choose me to be a living sacrifice. No, we want what we want because we're human beings. This is something that is higher. And because it's so difficult, the apostle doesn't stop by just telling us to do it. He gives us some very practical how-to advice in verse 2 of Romans 12:

Jonathan (00:10:17): "And do not be conformed (do not be patterned) to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Rick (00:10:30): So the alternative to conforming is to be transformed, and that is a work that begins in our minds. Now, look, your heart has to accept it. You have to accept that this is something that I want for my life, but your mind is what forms it into an actionable process. The idea of conforming versus transforming is the idea of doing something entirely different than you were doing. So this word "transformed," Julie, let's get into the word a little bit.

Julie (00:11:03): Well, none of us speak ancient Greek, but even we could have guessed what this Greek word "metamorphoo" means. It's where we get our English word metamorphosis. And in English, it's the transformation of one thing into something greater, like the common example of a young caterpillar to a butterfly. It changes its entire shape and body structure. Another great example is how heat turns coal into diamonds. It's a complete change. So for the Christian, it's also a complete change, like you said, Rick. We submit ourselves to the will of God to be transformed by the will of God. Our minds, goals, ambitions, character, everything's being transformed. It's being set on heavenly things. And in 1 Corinthians 2:16, it calls it "having the mind of Christ."

Jonathan (00:11:49): What changed for me when I was introduced to Romans 12:1-2 was this; I knew instantly my lifestyle had to change. I looked at Jesus, our perfect pattern, and saw what he gave up. I first took inventory of who I was and how I lived. I needed a radical change. I came from a very worldly and selfish life. At the age of 26, I had never grown up. This was a wake-up call. I had to learn what was right and wrong from God's word. I purged out things that were inappropriate from my house. I had to stop partying and singing in nightclubs, and I had to cut off business ties with a friend because it had an immoral implication. Everyone who knew me thought I went off the deep end. All except my parents. They were overjoyed. They even came to my baptism to support me. My life in Christ is the best decision I ever made.

Julie (00:12:47): Jonathan, I never knew that you sang in nightclubs!

Rick (00:12:50): Oh, the past of Jonathan. Yes.

Julie (00:12:53): Really interesting. That was a big change. That was a complete transformation. That's amazing.

Rick (00:12:58): You said that people thought that you went off the deep end and you did. You went into the deep end because that is where service and a life of following Christ is. It's in the deep end. It's a whole different example. You can't feel the shore because you rely entirely on him. So it's really, really an awesome picture of your own life and what this particular scripture means. Interestingly, this word "transformed," "metamorphoo," we talk about as metamorphosis, only appears a few times in the New Testament. It appears in Matthew and Mark in relation to Jesus, his transfiguration. It appears in Romans 12:2 and then in 2 Corinthians 3:18. So Jonathan, let's go to the Mark 9:2 rendering of this word:

Jonathan (00:13:48): "And after six days, Jesus taketh with him Peter and James and John, and leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them."

Rick (00:13:59): Now we know that this was a vision because it says it in the context, but in the vision, Jesus was entirely changed from physical to spiritual. It was an entire transformation. The other use of this word is 2 Corinthians 3:18:

Jonathan (00:14:16): "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord."

Rick (00:14:27): Julie, what you said before about our complete and utter total change as from caterpillar to butterfly, that's what this means. This is not bringing along what you were, this is being unrecognizable to what you were because now you're something higher and better. It says to be transformed by the renewing of your minds. Jonathan, what about renewing in Romans 12:2?

Jonathan (00:14:49): Well, renewing means "a renewal, renovation, a complete change for the better." And the only other use of this word is found in Titus 3:5: "...not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the holy spirit."

Rick (00:15:09): So we again have the sense of something completely different, the renewing by the holy spirit.

Julie (00:15:17): The point is the Greek word "transformed" only appears when we're referring to Jesus (Mount of Transfiguration) or this new creation we're talking about in Romans 12. And the word "renewing" only refers to the holy spirit in Titus or the new creation in Romans 12. So they're used very rarely in the Bible and never in a casual way.

Rick (00:15:38): It's pointed and it's purposeful; "dwell on these things." That's really what we're getting to. So Jonathan, thinking about thinking, where are we?

Jonathan (00:15:47): A Christian's entire life is built upon sacrificing our own will to do the will of God. This absolutely comes down to our minds being renovated by us allowing God's spirit to take control. No wonder Paul was so straightforward about dwelling on appropriate things. Let us think before we act.

Rick (00:16:08): We have to decide what we're going to dwell upon. It's obvious that thinking along spiritually sound lines is not only a big deal; it is a necessary life-changing practice.

Jonathan (00:16:22): With the deep necessity of renovating our minds before us, what are those things that we need to dwell upon?

Rick (00:16:30): Our need for self-control is critical and cannot be overstated. Romans 12:2 described a transformation that every true Christian must subject themselves to. As we've already seen, at the core of this transformation is God's spirit. Now here's the catch. There is a catch, and this is it. We individually control the measure of influence that God's spirit can have. I can stifle God's spirit in my life, or I can welcome God's spirit as a director in my life. So the question is, is our thinking, is my thinking, holy spirit friendly?

Julie (00:17:11): Hmm, that's a great question because if we don't allow God's power to work in and through our lives, then that complete change, that complete transformation in our minds, goals, ambitions, character won't happen. Less of self, more of God. That's our goal. And Paul encouraging us to dwell on these things is more than him just giving us these nice sayings to hang on our refrigerator, which you might think of first when you first read them. But I've got a question before we move on. There's a lot of thoughts that aren't bad, but they won't fit into these broad categories like, I am planning my grocery list or someone's studying a test for college or listening to a friend talking about what's bothering her. Where does our regular life fit into this "dwelling?"

Rick (00:17:56): All right, so we are to dwell on these spiritual things, but it doesn't mean we don't acknowledge the worldly things that we need to be dealing with. That's a really good question and we're actually going to get into that in great, great, great detail coming up in just a few minutes. So you want to stay with us for that because when we understand how to do both, it unlocks what true Christianity truly is. So Jonathan, let's go back to Philippians 4:8. And again, we're still doing a little bit of a recap. We've got to recap the four pieces that we talked about in our last episode.

Jonathan (00:18:27): "Finally, brethren, whatever is true..." The word for "true" or "truth" is a very general and broadly used word. The truth that we are to dwell upon has a transforming power of its own. John 17:17: "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth."

Rick (00:18:46): Our dwelling in the truth of the word of God, our making that a basic principle, not a feeling, a basic principle of transformation is what helps us to put everything else in place. It's so critical for us to look at this and say, I must dwell in God's truth. So Jonathan, quickly thinking about thinking in relation to dwelling on truth:

Jonathan (00:19:12): A mature Christian's thoughts will always strive to see and respond to any input based upon the truth of God and His righteousness, and not an emotional reaction.

Rick (00:19:24): Not emotion. Hardcore spiritual truth from the scripture. What's next?

Julie (00:19:31): Continuing on with Philippians 4:8: " Finally, brethren, whatever is true," and now "whatever is honorable." "Honorable" we talked about in Part One means "venerable, which is accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character." We are told to dwell on things that are honorable and we're also instructed to be honorable. For example, back in 1 Timothy and Titus it tells us that deacons have to be honorable, wives, and even older men should be honorable, venerable. It's an important character trait.

Rick (00:20:02): It is because it sets you apart from the average carelessness of how we present ourselves. There is no carelessness in this venerability, this honoring this being honorable. So Jonathan, in relation to honor; thinking about thinking...or Julie.

Julie (00:20:20): A mature Christian's thoughts will seek to dwell on the nobility of truly honorable acts that have a solid basis on the righteousness of God's truth.

Rick (00:20:29): A solid basis on the righteousness of what is true in God's eyes; not mine, in God's eyes. Jonathan, what's next?

Jonathan (00:20:39): "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right..." "Right" means "equitable (in character or act); by implication, Innocent, holy." This word is similar in fashion to the word for truth and has a general sense to it. Jesus gives us a sound basis for equitable behavior, but we won't behave this way unless we think this way. Matthew 7:12: "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the prophets."

Rick (00:21:12): Jesus laid it out so simply. Be that person that is always equitable and that gives the example, and that's what we dwell upon, living up to that high kind of standard. So Jonathan, thinking about thinking in relation to being right or equitable, what do we have?

Jonathan (00:21:30): While a mature Christian's thoughts are founded in truth and gravitate towards things honorable, they must be equitable as well. Standing for God is standing for fairness.

Rick (00:21:43): So far we've looked at whatever is true, whatever is honorable, and whatever is just or equitable. These are three of the basic foundations for what we should be dwelling on in our minds. So Julie, we are going back to Philippians 4:8. What comes next?

Julie (00:21:59): The next thing is "whatever is pure," which means "properly clean, figuratively innocent, modest, perfect." True purity needs to be a given when it comes to our Christian mind, heart, and actions. Ephesians 5:3-4 says, "But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks."

Rick (00:22:31): So this idea of purity is built upon what we were talking about last segment. Remember we were talking about "be transformed by the renewing of your minds," this renovation of your mind, the way you think, brings us to a level of purity that most people don't even want to think about. But that's where we need to rest our thoughts. It's such an important development process. So Julie, thinking about thinking in relation to purity:

Julie (00:22:59): A mature Christian's thoughts are based in truth. Hold fast to that which is honorable and prioritize equitable standards. To focus our minds on purity is to apply all these things in a comprehensive sense.

Rick (00:23:11): So these are the four aspects that we went through in Part One of our two-part series here. We went through what's true, what's honorable, what's just, what's pure. Now with those as a basis, let's continue. Let's open up the next part of what the Apostle is teaching us regarding "dwell on these things." Let's move on to the next building block. And Jonathan, what is that? And I know we're going back to Philippians 4:8.

Jonathan (00:23:36): We are indeed. "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely..." Lovely means "friendly towards, that is, acceptable, lovely." This is only used this one time in the New Testament. Jesus observed and appreciated the goodness and acceptability in others even if it was not fully developed. An example of this is found in the rich young ruler speaking with Jesus, found in Mark 10:20-21: "And he said to him, Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up. Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him, and said to him, One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

Rick (00:24:27): This is a wonderful example because we're talking about things that are lovely, things that have beauty. Jesus saw beauty even in the broken characters of humanity because he saw their intention, he saw what their heart was. And this rich young ruler had a wonderful heart. Jesus knew before the conversation started where it was going to end. But the account in Mark says he loved him and gave him a teaching because he loved him. He was not complete, this young man. And it says he went away very sorrowful, because he had great riches. But Jesus paused and taught him because of the beauty of his character. So this is a great example from Jesus of finding that which is wonderful and beautiful. Now there's several other places that we can look for these kinds of things. So let's go to what's next.

Julie (00:25:22): From a practical standpoint, we ask, what things are lovely? What can we be friendly towards? What things are acceptable? Here's one; we can and should observe and dwell upon the powerful harmony and beauty around us. Now think about nature. Psalms 8:1,3-4 says, "O Lord our God, how majestic is Your name in all the earth, who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man, that You had thought of him? And the son of man, that You care for him?" When we look at these exquisite intricacies of nature, whether you look up in the heavens or down under the sea and everywhere in between, it reinforces for me Psalm 14:1 that says, "Only a fool in his heart says that there is no God."

Jonathan (00:26:10): And such beauty in design and function should produce awe, which brings reverence for our heavenly Father. So dwell on these things.

Julie (00:26:20): I recently read an article at atlasobscura.com called "How the Best Underwater Photography Reveals a World of Wonder." And we're going to add the link to this week's CQ Rewind Show Notes that you can get every week on our website, our app, our YouTube channel. The pictures in this article would make you weep of the fluorescent lizard fish that looks like he's made of glow-in-the-dark paint, a fan worm that rivals anything the greatest artist could draw, and the impossible detail of a nurse shark's eye. Some of these obscure creatures are just being photographed for the first time. God cared enough to create this magnificent earth for us. It's lovely and we should dwell on it.

Rick (00:27:02): And the amazing thing about those examples is nobody's ever seen them. And yet, they're not just shades of gray. Just because they're out of sight doesn't mean they're out of the glorious creativity of God Almighty. And you just see His signature even on the things which are never seen. Dwell on these things. You see the goodness of God's creation. Yeah, pause, stop, dwell; make it a principle of action for your life. What's next?

Jonathan (00:27:39): We can and should observe and dwell upon the beauty of our human family. Mark 10:13-14,16: "And they were bringing children to him, so that he might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, Permit the children to come to me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. And he took them in his arms and began blessing them, laying his hands on them."

Rick (00:28:10): I'll tell you, when you see this example of Jesus with the little children, you just have to pause and consider little children in their innocence and in their beauty. Trish and I are blessed to have five grandchildren. The youngest is two-and-a-half, the oldest is 15-and-a-half. So there's a lot of range between them. And you know the beauty of all of those children, the 15-and-a-half I could spend a lot of time, I won't. But the 15-and-a-half year old Domenic, he is now taller than I am. Of course that's not saying a whole lot, but he's taller than me. Okay? And it's such a, in our family, it's a really big accomplishment when you get to be taller than me, and he just loves to come up to me and put his arm around my shoulder, and "How you doing, Papa?" And I have to look up to him. It is such a beautiful moment. And then you go down to the youngest one, little Lianna, she's two-and-a-half. And boy, she's got spunk like you wouldn't believe and she'll give you that eye. But when you start to play with her, there's this beauty of that little innocent imagination. Jesus saw it. Folks, dwell on the beauty of human nature, especially in its innocence. It is such a valuable, inspiring thing to look at and to appreciate God made us this way. Let's dwell on it. What's next?

Julie (00:29:25): Well, to continue with that let's talk about our brethren. We can and should observe and dwell upon the Christlikeness in our brethren. 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 says: "And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God (and again, this is Paul speaking). For I'm determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified."

Rick (00:29:50): Now he says that at the beginning of 1 Corinthians, and he's going to be scolding them throughout this entire letter because they are making all kinds of trouble. But he says, I'm determined to know you only in the way of after Christ. This is why he scolded them, because he loved them so much. He saw the beauty of Christ in them and wanted to protect that beauty. He cared enough to help them put things back in order. This is the way we need to see the brotherhood. We need to see Christ in them first and foremost. And by the way, you're not an apostle, so you shouldn't be doing the scolding like the Apostle Paul did. But we should see the beauty of Christ in them and appreciate that first and foremost.

Jonathan (00:30:33): I wanted to share something personal. I call my wife Jewel, "Lovely." She's lovely on the inside and out. Her new creature is beautiful. She loves God, Jesus, and the brotherhood. She wants to give to others and is selfless. She loves her family and is always trying to show that love to our son and daughter-in-law. She is my gift from God and I am so grateful for her. She usually goes to bed before me. So when I get in bed before I fall asleep, I say, "I love you, Lovely."

New Speaker (00:31:07): Again, Paul admonishes us to dwell. And that's what you're doing, Jonathan. You're dwelling on this beauty that you find within her. Remember, this Greek word means "to take an inventory, make an account of." We're to put these things into the center of our thinking. We make them of a highly calculated value. This word isn't used for fleeting emotions of happy feelings. And it's vital for our metamorphosis from that old man to a new creature in Christ.

Rick (00:31:34): We want to dwell on that which is lovely in the context of God's creation and God's order. That's where the greatest loveliness can exist. "Dwell on these things." Jonathan, thinking about thinking:

Jonathan (00:31:50): A Christian's thinking is to be focused on the beautiful things we are surrounded with. This should always be done with purity of heart and mind, so we can truly appreciate the beauty that surrounds us that is God-reflective. Let us think before we act.

Rick (00:32:06): Appreciate the beauty that surrounds us; that is God-reflective. That gives us a focal point of where to go and where not to go with the things that we are focusing on. If we would only stop and observe, we would quickly see that the beauty of God's handiwork is all around us.

Jonathan (00:32:27): So far, our dwelling places are upon what is true, honorable, right, pure, and now lovely or beautiful. What comes next?

Rick (00:32:38): There's one more dwelling place for our thoughts on this list from the Apostle Paul, after which are two qualifiers, and we'll get to those shortly. This last item absolutely has to be applied within the context of what Paul has already said. It can be far too easy to think on things of a worldly nature and be ever so subtly distracted from truly mature spiritual thinking. So as we open up this last piece, this sixth item on this list, want to make sure we keep it exactly in the context where it belongs. Jonathan, back to Philippians 4:8:

Jonathan (00:33:17): "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute..." Good repute means "well-spoken of, that is, reputable: of good report." Who doesn't want a good report card?

Rick (00:33:36): That's right. So whatever is of good report, and that's the way we're going to phrase it as we continue to explain it, because "good repute" is just not a phrase that we use a lot, and we're going to get confused. And again, this is another time where this is the only time this particular word is used in the entire New Testament. So we want to focus in on, what is the apostle meaning here and how can we truly apply it in a way that we can dwell appropriately on these things? Julie, let's get a little bit of commentary behind us as we continue.

Julie (00:34:07): Sure. Well, Albert Barnes in Barnes Notes on the Whole Bible, this section, this good report, whatever things are of good report, he says that "Whatsoever is truly reputable in the world at large. There are actions which all men agree in commending, in which in all ages and countries are regarded as virtues such as: courtesy, kindness, respect for parents, purity between brothers and sisters are among these virtues. And the Christian should be a pattern and an example in them all. His usefulness depends much more on the cultivation of these virtues than is commonly supposed." Okay, that's the end quote. But why, Rick and Jonathan, when the world is so evil, do we want to look around us for the example of a good report? Shouldn't we stick with only these examples that we find in the Bible and what the Bible tells us?

Rick (00:34:57): Yes and yes. We do want to look for a good report. All right? We want to support things that are of a good report, but we need to be very careful to differentiate between acknowledgement of these things and the dwelling upon these things. There's a big difference between acknowledging something good in a worldly sense and perhaps dwelling on it inappropriately as a Christian. So we want to really focus on "acknowledge" versus "dwell," because this is what the apostle is teaching us here. When he says dwell on these things, that's the core value that everything comes back to. So how do we do this? How do we decide which category something of good report belongs in? Well, to do that, let's go back over these six virtuous characteristics or virtuous things to be thinking about that we have gone through in Part One, and Part Two of this series. Julie, let's start with you. We're going to do a comparison between acknowledging and dwelling.

Julie (00:36:02): All right. Well let's start with the true. If it's true by worldly standards, you are saying acknowledge it.

Rick (00:36:09): Yes, I'm saying look at it and say, "That's good." Jonathan?

Jonathan (00:36:15): If it is true by godly standards, dwell upon it.

Rick (00:36:20): So what we're saying is, pause and consider, versus "That's good." Now this is, pause, consider, and allow your life to rely on this. Next.

Julie (00:36:32): All right, let's take the next one. If it's honorable by worldly standards, acknowledge it. Ket's take the next one. If it's honorable by worldly standards, acknowledge it.

Rick (00:36:37): So acknowledge it. Say, "That's good, I'm glad to see that." Jonathan?

Jonathan (00:36:43): If it is honorable by godly standards, dwell upon it.

Rick (00:36:47): You can bank on that level of honor. What's next?

Julie (00:36:53): Next, the Apostle Paul told us about just; if it's just by worldly standards, we would acknowledge it.

Rick (00:36:58): Say "Yes, we're glad to see justice in the world." Jonathan?

Jonathan (00:37:02): And if it is just by godly standards, dwell upon it.

Rick (00:37:06): And we can count on God's justice for eternity. Big difference between the two. Julie?

Julie (00:37:12): If it's pure by worldly standards, acknowledge it.

Rick (00:37:15): Worldly standards have levels of purity, but generally levels of purity are a little bit contaminated as well. Acknowledge them, because that's good to see. Jonathan?

Jonathan (00:37:25): If it is pure by godly standards, dwell upon it.

Rick (00:37:29): You can rest that that purity is 100% free of any contamination whatsoever. What's next, Julie?

Julie (00:37:38): If it's lovely by worldly standards, acknowledge it.

Rick (00:37:41): And there are beautiful things in the world and we should look and say, "I appreciate this." Jonathan?

Jonathan (00:37:48): If it is lovely by godly standards, dwell upon it.

Rick (00:37:52): I not only can appreciate this, but I can keep it in my heart and mind all the time and praise God as I do it. And then let's wrap this up.

Julie (00:38:01): If it's a good report by worldly standards, acknowledge it.

Rick (00:38:04): So if you have that sense of real true intrinsic value by worldly standards, you can applaud and say, "What a wonderful thing." Jonathan?

Jonathan (00:38:14): If it is of good report by godly standards, dwell upon it.

Rick (00:38:19): Keep it there. Say, "This is what guides me."

Julie (00:38:24): So the point is, if we lose our ability to acknowledge what's good in the world, we're going to lose our compassion. And there's a difference, you're saying, between acknowledging and dwelling, which is where we put my grocery list and that test I have to take and all that. We can appreciate it, but it's not going to be the focus of our lives.

Rick (00:38:40): Exactly. Exactly.

Jonathan (00:38:42): What are we sacrificing for? We are sacrificing to help Jesus bless all of humanity in the Kingdom. If we start to look for the good all around us, it's easier to communicate with others and to appreciate them. An example I thought of in the natural sense is to appreciate those who have a calling to serve in the military. We appreciate and acknowledge their service of sacrifice for freedom's sake, but we also dwell on followers of Christ who are soldiers of Christ. We support and encourage and give of ourselves to them in their spiritual development, even if we see things differently. Dwell on their talents and goodness because we are all unique.

Rick (00:39:27): So there's nothing wrong with acknowledging. We're encouraging that acknowledgement, but we're also focusing in on "dwell on" that which is appropriate for a Christian. A good example of "that which is of good report" and fits all of the above criteria comes from Acts 15. And this is the chapter where the elders get together and they're talking about circumcision and non-circumcision and Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. And there's major debate going on here. In Act 15:7-11 we see this unfold and really fit very well into what Philippians 4:8: "...whatsoever things are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and of good report..." We see all of this coming forward in these verses.

Jonathan (00:40:10): Acts 15:7-11: "After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith." So Peter sums this up and says, here's the report and it's a godly one. God gave them the Holy Spirit too. There's no difference between Jewish and Gentile Christians. Continuing with verses 10-11: "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are." So Peter is saying, dwell on the unity and entirety of the body of Christ. God called them too.

Julie (00:41:14): Every time you say, "Now, therefore" I'm thinking of you saying "Now therefore, what's the there for? And it makes me want to dig in deeper to see what he's saying. And in Part One of this series, we quoted Paul expecting a good report from the church at Philippi. You remember Philippians 1:27, he had said: "Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I'm going to hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel." So dwelling on the unity and quality of the body of Christ brings spiritual reverence. And since we're representing Christ, we ourselves want to be of this good report.

Rick (00:41:54): We need to dwell where we need to dwell and we need to be aware of what's appropriate and what's not. Jonathan, thinking about thinking;

Jonathan (00:42:03): A Christian's thinking needs to be trained to always look to higher and spiritual standards to guide what we dwell upon. Because the world is overwhelmed with people's interpretations of what a "good report" can be, we need to have a sound system of spiritual checks and balances in place to guide us to appropriate thought dwelling places. Let us think before we act.

Rick (00:42:27): We need to establish appropriate thought dwelling places; "dwell on that which is of good report" from a good spiritual perspective. Jonathan, let's continue back to Philippians 4:8:

Jonathan (00:42:40): "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..." "Excellence" means "valor; that is; excellence, intrinsic or attributed." Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon says "a virtuous course of thought, feeling, and action; any particular moral excellence as modesty, purity."

Rick (00:43:07): And here the focus is slightly different. Paul has purposely listed true, honorable, just, pure, beautiful and good report as objects of our focus. Now he broadens his approach in a more general way and says that excellence, and this is a very broad thing, excellence can also be a dwelling place for our thoughts.

Julie (00:43:26): This seems like a really good catchall, anything virtuous, of value, worthy of praise; there is where we are going to spend time elevating ourselves, transforming ourselves with these kind of thoughts.

Rick (00:43:37): And again, we want to define excellence. So let's go through a few things here. The Apostle Peter explains to us that any true excellence that we may develop is fashioned after, guess what? After the excellence of God, our Creator. Jonathan, let's go to 2 Peter 1:3, then 5-7:

Jonathan (00:43:58): "...seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence...Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love."

Julie (00:44:29): What a great progression that is. And this is the highest standard of excellence because God's excellence called us and now we are called upon to develop excellence within ourselves. We become excellent after the manner of God. Now that's an opportunity that's hard to fathom.

Rick (00:44:46): Not only is it an opportunity that's hard to fathom, it is an example that we can barely get our arms around, because it's the excellence of God. That is the model of excellence. So when it says "if there's any excellence," this is the high model that we are really, really beginning with. Let's continue. The Apostle Peter also gives us the highest human example of the kind of excellence that we are to dwell upon. And this is also in 1 Peter 2:4-5:

Jonathan (00:45:19): "Jesus is choice and precious in the sight of God. You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." In every way, Jesus' life was stellar; his demeanor, his words, his actions, his sensitivity, and his forcefulness. He fulfilled the law flawlessly. As we are called living stones like he was, we want our excellence to shine by mirroring him. We are being developed to be precious stones, gems cut and polished through trials and testings. Will God see excellence in us? This is our hope. How's our transformation coming?

Rick (00:46:03): When you think about the example of Jesus, we think, well he was perfect, but the scripture says that he learned obedience by the things that he suffered, by the things he experienced. So "perfect" doesn't mean "experienced." "Perfect" needed development, and we, therefore, need development because he is our pattern. Living stone, we are also living stones. Jesus' own excellence gives us the pattern for us to develop our (by God's grace) own godly excellence. And again, I stress that's by God's grace. One more scripture from 1 Peter 2. Let's jump down to verses 9, 11-12:

Jonathan (00:46:42): "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light... Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation."

Julie (00:47:15): We talked a lot about these specific descriptions, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and so on, in Episode 1249, "What Will We Be Doing When We Get to Heaven? (Part II)." It's well worth a closer examination. In short, we receive privilege upon privilege upon privilege, as the scripture says, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of God. We can't proclaim them unless we're dwelling on them, and it's not complicated, but the magnitude of privilege and responsibility is profound.

Rick (00:47:48): "Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." These are the things that transform us as we renew our minds. Dwell on those things which are excellent from a godly standard. So Jonathan, wrapping this up, thinking about thinking:

Jonathan (00:48:07): A mature Christian's thinking must find its fuel in the excellence of God our Creator and Jesus our Lord. Excellence in virtue can and do abound in many people for many reasons. And we always want to be aware of it and support it. However, we cannot forget the "why" of our seeking such virtue, as it is to simply and eternally praise and honor God. Dwell on spiritual excellence. Let us think before we act.

Rick (00:48:36): We really do need to think before we act. We need to put things in perspective so that we can say, "This is excellent on a level that I need to strive for. That's excellent and I can appreciate it, but this is where I want to live." There is a clarity developing in Paul's teaching that helps us separate our old lives from our new calling. Let's do something simple. Let's take his advice.

Jonathan (00:49:07): We now know that our observance of excellence gives us an even broader base upon which to have our thoughts dwell. What else is there?

Rick (00:49:15): Glad you asked. The Apostle Paul knows that he's teaching us life-changing thought processes and he's doing it with just a few words. He has given us this very dynamic list of what to dwell on and has added excellence, but he's not done yet because there's one more quality that will round out all of his teaching. And in some ways this last quality we're about to get into, this next quality will circle us back to the list's beginning. And what was at the beginning? "Whatsoever is true." So think about what we're about to talk about in the context of "whatsoever is true." Jonathan, I don't know, maybe we should go back to Philippians 4:8. What do you think?

Jonathan (00:49:59): Sounds good Rick. "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..." What does "praise" mean? "A commendable thing. Praise."

Rick (00:50:18): Pretty simple. Something that is commendable and you can say, whoa, there's lots of things in the world that are praiseworthy. Yes there are, but again, this is a matter of standards, as we have been really working on trying to absorb what the apostle is teaching us. Here's the thing; many things can seem praiseworthy, but they're not. One example; one example is praise that is not based on truth. Let's go back to John 12:42-43. And this is talking about those who saw Jesus, especially the rulers in Israel who saw him but maybe didn't quite so much follow him for some reasons.

Jonathan (00:50:59): "Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God."

Julie (00:51:13): We always seem to pick on these poor Pharisees, but it's for good reason. They loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. Isn't it sad to say about any religious leader? They rejected the opportunity to follow Jesus because they wanted to be praised as the ones who had all the answers. Their wanting such praise wasn't based on the truth of what was happening right in front of them.

Rick (00:51:36): And the interesting thing is the Apostle Paul was one of those very Pharisees, and he understood. And that's why earlier in the book of Philippians, he talked about all of his previous perceived successes were to be thrown in the garbage heap because they weren't based in the truth of God's righteousness. So you have this whole different level of praiseworthy and that wasn't one of them, to conform to what the religious leadership was saying. He's saying no, that's not praiseworthy. Another example is approaching our spiritual calling with our old human habits present as a driving influence. So again, we're going to read a scripture and the moral of the story is, don't try this at home. Okay? 1 Corinthians 11:20-22:

Jonathan (00:52:26): "Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God, and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you." Now Paul is saying, don't take the sacredness of spirituality and bring your old broken selves into it. He is saying, "Come as you are but don't stay as you are." Too many churches that want to be accepting will do the very opposite. In principle they say, "Come as you are, you're okay just the way you are." But that's not okay from the apostle's standpoint. He was telling the Gentiles that bringing in their old habits was polluting the church. Here's the point. There is no transformational work in that process. This is not praiseworthy.

Rick (00:53:27): Jonathan, when we think about this, and I think back to your own personal example of people saying you went off into the deep end; Christianity belongs in the deep end. Some brands of Christianity stay in the shallow end because everybody's comfortable there. You can touch the bottom. We don't want to be on the bottom, we want to be floating up to the top. And so we want to understand certain things are not worthy of praise, even though from a worldly perspective they may seem it. We welcome everybody, sure, but if you're a Christian, you are welcomed so you can grow and transform by the renewing of your mind. It's a different kind of life. So these are a couple of examples of things that are not praiseworthy but may seem to be. Let's go to the other side. It is appropriate to praise the power of God in our lives. An example here is Jesus restoring a man's sight. Now he did a lot of healing. We're just picking on one specific example because there's a conversation here and it helps us to see just raw praise as a result. Luke 18:40-43:

Jonathan (00:54:32): "And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to him; and when he came near he questioned him, What do you want me to do for you? And he said, Lord, I want to regain my sight! And Jesus said to him, Receive your sight; your faith has made you well. Immediately he regained his sight, and began following him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God."

Rick (00:54:55): So these people around this man who had been blind, saw that he could see and their gut reaction was to praise God, not praise the man. It was to praise God. His gut reaction was to praise God and follow after Jesus. This is praiseworthy when you see the power of God unfolding in your life. Folks, that is something to dwell upon. God's providence is giving me guidance. That is always, always praiseworthy. Let's look at another example. It's always appropriate to praise the spiritual work of those within the brotherhood. Let's look at 2 Corinthians 8:16-18:

Jonathan (00:55:40): "But thanks be to God, who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus. For he not only accepted our appeal, but by being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches."

Rick (00:55:59): There are two individuals that the apostle Paul is focusing on here. He's saying he's focusing on Titus, and he's talking about him being very earnest and he's gone to you of his own accord. He's praising the character of Christlikeness that brought Titus to them. And then he mentions another brother who remains nameless, but everybody seems to know who he is. Now we don't know, there's speculation. It could have been Silas, it could have been Luke, there could have been several brethren. But he's saying, whose fame in the things of the gospel spread through the churches. He was not afraid to draw attention to those who brought glory to God's name. We don't want to be afraid of that either. And you know, sometimes we think, well I don't want to tell anybody that because it might make them proud. It also might encourage a whole lot of people. And you know, we need to understand that the idea is to build people up and to recognize that which brings honor to God is praise worthy. "Dwell on those things." Let's look at another example. It's appropriate to look at the spiritual growth and maturity of our brethren as praiseworthy. So we looked at God's example of God's providence in our lives, the work of the spiritual brotherhood, and now look at the spiritual growth and maturity of the brotherhood. Let's go back to Philippians 1:9-11:

Jonathan (00:57:19): "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that you may approve things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."

Rick (00:57:38): Being filled with the fruit of righteousness. He is complimenting his brethren in Philippi, saying, this is how I like to see you, and this is what I think of when I think of you. And what does this do? This brings glory and praise of God. That's what it brings. We need to focus ourselves on that higher level. Dwell on these things, not those other examples that we started with. Julie, let's go to thinking about thinking here:

Julie (00:58:08): A mature Christian's thinking must dwell on the highest levels of praiseworthy and God-honoring things it can find. We need to always remember the difference between things that we acknowledge and things that we dwell upon. If God would praise something, then we can dwell upon it. Let us think before we act.

Rick (00:58:25): And that's such a great example. If God would praise something, okay, that's a good thing to dwell on. That's a pretty sure example that if God says yay and amen, I can say yay and amen all day long because it is safe. And folks, really that's what we're talking about. We're talking about the development of our minds. We're talking about the transformation of our minds, the renovation, from old thinking to new thinking. And what that means is you leave the old behind. When you renovate a room or a building...my wife and I bought a very old house many, many years ago. And Jonathan, you remember, this house was a broken down, absolute mess. And there was a ton of renovations we needed to do. And in some cases you wouldn't recognize what was put in because of what was taken out, because you had to remove anything that was off so you could replace it with something that was true and sound in terms of construction. So that's what we're focusing on, the solid basis of transformed thinking, the things that we need to dwell on. So let's one last time, go back to Philippians 4:8. We love this scripture obviously. One more time, Jonathan.

Jonathan (00:59:39): "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."

Rick (00:59:54): Dwell. To dwell is to make it sound and practicable because it's logical, not emotional. The formula for spiritually mature thinking is actually simple. It's not necessarily easy to do, but it's actually simple. It is a comparison, and we need to look at every aspect of our lives through the eyes of this comparison. Julie, what's the first part of this comparison?

Julie (01:00:20): As we said previously, by worldly standards, we acknowledge what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and of good report.

Jonathan (01:00:28): But by godly standards, Rick, we dwell on that which is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and good report.

Rick (01:00:36): So we either acknowledge; and things in the world are worthy of acknowledgement, they're worthy of some attention. Please don't misunderstand. We're not saying ignore all things around you. Don't, especially when you see goodness. Be on top of that, but don't let that guide you. What should guide us are these higher things and we have to acknowledge what is excellent in the world. That's an important part versus dwelling on what is excellent by godly standards. We need to acknowledge what is praiseworthy in the world. There are lots of things that are praiseworthy. Acknowledge them, applaud for them, but dwell on what is praiseworthy by God's standards. All of this was exemplified by Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith. It's fitting that Paul, in his letter to the Philippian Christians, gave us what we're going to read, the following insight into the heart, mind, and actions of Jesus himself. And again, as we go through this scripture, what we can see, what we can understand is all of these things. All of these things to dwell upon Jesus himself was an example of. So Jonathan, let's look at Philippians 2:5-11, and as we go through, Julie, just drop in specific thoughts about the character and the actions of our Lord Jesus.

Jonathan (01:02:02): "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus..."

Julie (01:02:06): This attitude is the desire to only do the Father's will. Jesus said, "I came not to do mine own will, but the will of Him who sent me." So we are to have that transformed attitude of the new creature.

Jonathan (01:02:17): "...who although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped..."

Julie (01:02:23): As a spirit being, Jesus in his prehuman existence as the Logos was in a glorious position. And some translations say he counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, or he did not meditate a usurpation. In contrast, Lucifer was also a spirit being, but he wanted to selfishly exalt himself by saying, "I will be like the Most High."

Jonathan (01:02:46): "...but emptied himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men."

Julie (01:02:51): This is the ultimate honorable action. We were talking about being venerable. He's worthy of our veneration.

Jonathan (01:02:58): "Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Julie (01:03:05): He satisfied justice. 1 Corinthians tells, "As in Adam all die, so in Christ will all be made alive." A perfect man, Adam, sinned, and only a perfect man could pay the price as the ransom.

Jonathan (01:03:18): "For this reason also, God highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name which is above every name..."

Julie (01:03:24): Because Jesus was so loyal to God, he was entrusted with even greater honor and power.

Jonathan (01:03:30): "...so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Julie (01:03:42): We can't wait until that day. Dwelling on the death and resurrection of Jesus that enables this future kingdom of God to come to its full establishment is something praiseworthy to dwell upon.

Rick (01:03:54): So when we look at the example of Jesus just in these few verses in Philippians, and then we look at Philippians 4:8, whatsoever things are true and so forth, you see that both of these things are exactly congruent with each other. They exactly fit because Jesus is the example of what to dwell on. If you ever have a question, go back to dwelling on Jesus and you'll be safe. That's really what it comes down to. Jonathan, let's wrap this up. Thinking about thinking one last time:

Jonathan (01:04:24): A Christian's thinking does not grow and mature into a spiritually-driven mindset by accident or by osmosis. This will only happen by allowing God's spirit to guide us as we give attentive and intentional focus to the right things. Learning to differentiate between that which we acknowledge and that which we dwell upon is the beginning. Actually dwelling on the right thing is the result. Let us think before we act.

Rick (01:04:52): Folks, it's important to understand that our thinking produces our character. Our thinking produces our level of faithfulness to God through Christ. What are we going to do? How are we going to focus it? What will I dwell upon? That's the question. Philippians 4:8 gives us the answer. The question is, what do I do with that answer? And we want you to think about it. Folks, we love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions on this episode and other episodes at ChristianQuestions.com. Coming up in our next episode next week, this will be a two-part series, "Is Following Christ the Same As Following Christianity?" We'll talk to you then.

Final Notes (01:05:36): copyright @2023 Christian Questions. In addition to this transcript, we provide comprehensive CQ Rewind Show Notes for every episode. They include every scripture quoted during the podcast, as well as graphics, illustrations and bonus material. Click the "CQ Rewind Show Notes" button near the audio player or sign up to receive these weekly at ChristianQuestions.com. This transcript was created using artificial intelligence. While we believe it to be accurate, we apologize for any errors that may exist.