“THINK ON THESE THINGS”
Stephen McLaren
Philippians 4: 8
This verse has been with me of late, and I think it is a very full and rich verse, coming, as it does, in such an epistle as the epistle to the Philippians. It is a very rich and full epistle, full of affection, full of the apostle's outpouring of heart, his knowledge of the Lord Jesus. We can hardly pick up the book without thinking of the wonderful section at the beginning of chapter 2 where it speaks about the mind that is to be in us, “For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”, v 5. I am sure the brethren know the passage well.
This verse I have read, which comes after all these other things Paul had to say, says, “For the rest, brethren”. I suppose it is the idea of a final word before he concludes the book, and he is speaking about what we are to think of, what our minds are to be occupied with; it has often been said our minds are very important, and it is important they should be rightly occupied. The apostle here is speaking about things which we can be profitably occupied with in our minds, and things which will tend to us knowing what the peace of God is. We have just been speaking about that, “Be careful about nothing; but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses every understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts by Christ Jesus”, v 6-7. It is a blessed matter to know the peace of God, and I believe as we are occupied with the things which this verse speaks of we will know and enjoy what the peace of God is.
The first thing he says is, “whatsoever things are true”. It is very important we should be occupied with truth and what is true. I suppose we could say all these things are found, of course, in acknowledging Himself and being occupied in our minds with the detail of the things that are given here. We speak much about “the truth”, and when we were reading through John's epistles recently we read, for example, about one, Gaius, who was written to by John. It says, “For I rejoiced exceedingly when the brethren came and bore testimony to thy holding fast the truth, even as thou walkest in truth. I have no greater joy than these things that I hear of my children walking in the truth”, 3 John: 3-4. One thing that strikes me is how great a scope it is, a great scope of things which are profitable.
The next thing is, “whatsoever things are noble”. Our brother on Lord's day in the preaching spoke about the Bereans as “more noble than those in Thessalonica”, Acts 17: 11. You might have thought that the Thessalonians were very good, judging by what Paul had to say in his epistle, but in Berea there were some who were more noble than that. They were those who searched the Scriptures. There are plenty of examples in the Scriptures of persons who are noble in character, examples for us to think about.
Then it says, “whatsoever things are just”. It is important that what is just should prevail. As an example I was thinking of Simeon, where it says, “and this man was just and pious, awaiting the consolation of Israel”, Luke 2: 25. He, certainly, when he took the Babe into his arms, would have some knowledge of the peace of God that we have been speaking of.
”Whatsoever things are pure”. Purity is a very desirable feature. I often think of that woman who came and anointed the Lord just at the end of His life and she carried with her a vessel of pure nard. She poured it out upon the Lord's head, Mark 14: 3. She would have been one who would have been thinking about what was pure. How blessed an occupation it is to make much of the Lord Jesus, and what that woman did was to be spoken of as a memorial of her.
Then “whatsoever things are amiable” or, as the footnote says, 'lovable'. I do not think the word “amiable” means what is merely natural, but it is what is lovable in the sight of God. It occurs to me that we continue the work of God in such a thing as that. The work of God is lovable; the work of God that we can see in one another is what is lovable. We can enjoy it and in particular have our minds occupied with that character of things.
“Whatsoever things are of good report”. It is clear we can carry a good report. In the Acts there were those who could be spoken of as having a good report. In Acts 6 there is reference to certain men who were “well reported of, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom”, v 3. That was in a situation where there was something that might have disturbed the peace, and the answer was to seek out men like this who were well reported of, and the matter was resolved. It is good to be able to take account of whether there is a good report of someone; do we rightly assess such as of God?
He finishes, “if there be any virtue and if any praise, think on these things”, “if any praise”. It speaks in one of the epistles as to one “whose praise is not of men, but of God”, Rom 2: 29. We do not want to seek the praise of man but what is worthy in the sight of God. It says, “if there be any virtue and if any praise, think on these things”.
I just wondered about the scope of these suggestions. I have just been sketching over them, and no doubt there are other examples and instances. These things that are referred to in this verse will refer to the brethren. I was just thinking as regards that clause, “whatsoever things are amiable”, that we have a reference in Psalm 84, “How amiable are thy tabernacles” v 1. The psalmist speaks of the time when the saints are gathered together: “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of Jehovah”, and that gathering is spoken of as “amiable”. That is just another example of the extent and character and scope of what the apostle is suggesting in this verse. We live in a world that is very different from these things we have spoken of. We live in a world that is surrounded with what can cause defilement, and I think it is important that, as walking through such a world, we should be different, and our mind occupied with things of this character, and as it is so, we will have the peace of God presiding in our hearts. That is important for all of us, the young ones and the older ones too. We all need to have the effects of that, our minds rightly occupied. As we do so our hearts will be preserved too. We sang at the beginning of the love that drew our hearts to Christ. That can only take place if our minds are occupied with what is of Him.
I trust that something of what is said may bear fruit. May we be blessed in our consideration of it.
For His Name's sake.
Dundee
18th November 2014