Whatsoever Things Part 2
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8).
Whatsoever Things are Honest
“Marked by or displaying integrity; upright.” Worthy of honor.
As we go through this list, I hope that we will be thinking about a higher standard for our thoughts. We want our lives, our words, our actions to match what God’s standard is. But all of that starts in our thoughts. The battle is real, intense, and sometimes very difficult. Sometimes we may feel so bombarded by ungodly thoughts that it seems we are losing the battle. During those times, it’s so important that we remember that the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God!
Jesus Christ is worthy of all honor. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (Revelation 4:11). He sees, not only our outward life, but also our inward life. Let’s ask ourselves: do our thoughts bring honor to the One Who is worthy? Or are they such that we would blush to speak them aloud in His presence?
Some things just aren’t good to think about. Some thoughts should be cast down. Have you ever heard the saying, “You can’t keep a bird from landing in your hair but you can keep it from building a nest there?” Some thoughts will come into our mind–undesired, uninvited–but that doesn’t mean they have to stay! We can go directly to the Lord and seek His help to cast those thoughts from our mind. He already knows what’s going on inside us, and this is not a battle we can win on our own. We need Him.
Are our thoughts in keeping with the high standard in God’s word? Do we filter everything through what He’s laid out as righteous in scripture?
Whatsoever Things are Just
He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he (Deuteronomy 32:4).
Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before Thy face (Psalm 84:14).
God, in His person, His character, is just–morally upright and righteous. We often use the word “justice” when we’re referring to a sense of right and wrong and fairness. Since we have been made in the image of God and have a conscience, we know that there is right and wrong, and that when wrong is done, a penalty must be inflicted. We often use “justice” to refer to this matter of right and wrong and penalty for wrong-doing.
But no one, except God, ultimately has right to mete out justice (unless He gives someone that right, such as the government), because no one else is completely just. In order to justify sinful man, He sent His Son to the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. He made Jesus to be sin, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. God views our need to be justified–declared righteous–as paramount. And He also views our need to live like we’ve been justified to be just as important.
In keeping with God’s character and what He did to make us justified before Him, do we seek, by His grace, to live up to that? Our standing is that we are justified before a just God. And He wants us to live like it–even in our thoughts! This is not something He asks us to do on our own. Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ–in our thought life. Whatsoever things are honest and whatsoever things are just…think on these things!
