Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8 NIV)
Who doesn’t like a little gamesmanship among pals? At the risk of revealing the magic behind the mind games to my friends, I need to pull back the curtain a bit to make the point of this devotion.
I like to make subtle comments on the course. They may or may not be intended to get inside the heads of my regular playing partners. Play with guys long enough, and reading what buttons to push becomes easier than reading putts.
Cautioning one buddy about white stakes on the left usually secures his Titleist an express ride OB.
Whispering “He never misses these” within earshot of another friend often causes his short putts to veer offline.
Why is this strategy so effective? Our actions tend to follow our thoughts. Plant a seed of doubt in a golfer’s mind, and it germinates quickly. Don’t believe me? Tell yourself not to chili dip your next chip, and see how that goes.
A good caddie will always tell you where to hit rather than what to avoid, so based on today’s verse, I think Paul would have made a good looper.
When we poison our minds with junk like talk shows, gossip, and talk shows about gossip, it’s easy to “snap hook” an interaction and wonder, “Where did that come from?” This mistake is like looking at your club after hitting an errant shot and trying to convince yourself it’s the equipment’s fault.
Paul’s advice to the Philippians was to fill you’re their heads with the proper inputs. And where do we find “such things” to think about? Let’s take a stroll through the scripture.
- Whatever is true: “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Not your truth. Not my truth. The truth: Jesus.
- Whatever is noble: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10).
- Whatever is right: “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31).
- Whatever is pure: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).
- Whatever is lovely: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).
- Whatever is admirable: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).
- If anything is excellent or praiseworthy: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
I don’t know about you, but I’d say that’s excellent and praiseworthy!
Prayer: Lord, thank you for gifting us with the miracle of our minds. Let us show our gratitude by filling them with “such things,” as Paul suggests.