Martin’s Thoughts for August 9th

Martin’s Morning Thoughts

August 9, 2014

Greater Mental Health

⁸ For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. Philippians 4:8,9)

You are what you think! Your thoughts dominate your choices and the outcomes of those choices. Think about this for a moment. What you are presently, you have been becoming all along. Modify your thoughts to fit into Paul’s practical and spiritual format, and you will see a change that benefits you. Let us briefly look into those areas of verse eight.

• Whatever is true. God’s truth and all which flows from it. There is no pretense in God’s truth, no hypocrisy, and no failures.
• Honorable things. Those things which are carnally-based, frivolous, and offer no lasting value to the person ought to be avoided. There is no honor in them. We mus think on things that add value to the soul.
• Just things. We must do to others what we would have them do to us. We must be fair in all of our dealings. We must hate cheating, defrauding, and taking advantage of all men, just and unjust. Our dealings must be approved of God.
• Pure things. Clean thoughts should dominate our minds. Thoughts of covetousness and lust must be avoided like the plague. Deceitful thinking is impure. Defiled thinking is a destroyer of pure thoughts. Pure thoughts are the mothers of pure actions.
• Lovely thoughts. Winsome thinking is the kind that finds honor among good men. Thoughts which have a tendency to be peaceful and directed toward the good of mankind are lovable thoughts on a spiritual level.
• Virtuous thinking. To stand for what is right in the presence of what is wrong, to help the poor when all seem to abandon him, and to show forth spiritual excellence in an environment in which such excellence is a mere flicker of light is virtuous thinking.
• Praiseworthy thoughts. Would God praise your deeds? Would men praise your deeds? Would your family praise you? Are your thoughts the kind that gender praise or contempt? Hate contemptuous thoughts and love thoughts worthy of praise.
• Change your thinking and you will change your life!