Philippians 4 -- A Diet Of The Mind

“And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Brothers, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise.  Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.  Do what you learned and received from me, what I told you, and what you saw me do.  And the God who gives peace will be with you.”

Paul is talking about our thought life – that inside part of us that we can keep conveniently compartmentalized from the outside world, or so we think.  My commentary says:  “The Bible everywhere teaches that we can control what we think.”  We can’t simply give up and say we can’t help having unwelcome thoughts.  Here’s Paul’s secret:  “A person cannot entertain evil thoughts and thoughts about the Lord Jesus at the same time.  If, then, an evil thought should come to him, he should immediately get rid of it by meditating on the Person and work of Christ.”

We are so tempted to indulge ourselves with evil thoughts, I think, out of a sense of entitlement, reasoning that, because we don’t physically commit the sin, then we can at least allow ourselves the indulgence of the thought, almost in compensation for the sacrifice.  (It sounds a lot like someone who’s concerned about their weight and dieting deciding to indulge in a rich chocolate dessert as compensation for two days of healthy eating!)

Verse 7 tells us God’s peace will keep our hearts AND minds in Christ Jesus.  But my commentary adds that we have a responsibility there also.  “God does not garrison the thought life of a man who does not want it to be kept pure … Right living results from right thinking.  If a person’s thought life is pure, then his life will be pure … And we should always remember that if a person thinks an evil thought long enough, he will eventually do it.”  As God continues to remind me, “It’s the thought that counts.”

Father, this can be a difficult battle for all of us – me included.  Please help me never to feel entitled to let my thought roam into areas I shouldn’t.  Set off alarm bells and red flags in my mind when I get into this danger zone.  Remind me not to indulge myself.  Keep me on a diet of the mind.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford