“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.” (Phil. 4:8 NIV)

The Bible says that we are what we think about (Prov. 23:7). And, that we talk about what we think about (Luke 6:45). That is probably why we are told to think about good things!

We need to continuously put good things into our minds if we want good things to come out!

There are eight things in this passage you are told to think about. I have included some definitions and/or synonyms to add clarity.

• True – correct, accurate, faithful.

• Noble – righteous, virtuous, good, honorable, upright, decent, worthy, moral, ethical, reputable.

• Right – just, fair, proper, upright, lawful, legal.

• Pure – unadulterated, uncontaminated, unmixed, undiluted, flawless, perfect, genuine, real.

• Lovely – beautiful, pretty, attractive, good-looking, appealing, handsome, adorable, exquisite.

• Admirable – commendable, praiseworthy, laudable, estimable, meritorious, creditable, exemplary, honorable, worthy, deserving, respectable, worthwhile, good, sterling, fine, masterly, great.

• Excellent – extremely good, outstanding, superb, exceptional, marvelous, wonderful, magnificent, preeminent, perfect, matchless, unbeatable, peerless, supreme, prime, first-rate.

• Praiseworthy – worthy of praise, admirable, laudable, meritorious, estimable, exemplary.

Guard your heart!

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Prov. 4:23 NIV)

Many today are unfortunately filling their minds with just the opposite through what they watch on television, online, pornographic sites, or video games. The Bible warns about the “blindness of heart” in the following passage.

“Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:” (Eph. 4:18 KJV)

Plant, watch, recognize and weed!

You have to watch what you are thinking about continuously to keep garbage from creeping in! Your brain is like a garden that you have to tend constantly by making sure the right things are planted and growing in there and weeds are recognized and pulled out! It is a constant renewing process! (Phil. 1:6)

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom. 12:2 NIV)

“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” (2 Cor. 9:10 NIV)

Seeds must be planted in order to grow

Some palm tree seeds were found in an ancient Egyptian tomb over 2,000 years old! They were planted, grew and produced wonderful dates. Life was still inside those seeds after all those years! But, they did nothing until they we’re put into some soil. Only then did they finally grow!

God has provided good seeds for you to plant and grow! But, until you actually plant them, nothing will happen for you! Sadly, many go without because they don’t plant their seeds!

Seeds for bread and seeds for righteousness

Two kinds of seed harvests are mentioned here:

1) Seeds for a harvest of bread

2) Seeds for a harvest of righteousness

Facts about seeds:

· You won’t have a crop without seeds. But, the good news is that God has provided them for you. (2 Cor. 9:10)

· Each seed is filled with life and potential. 30, 60, 100-fold return per seed! You will get more than you plant, a bigger return! (Matt. 13:8).

· You must plant the seed. They will only work for you if you plant them! “For whatever a man might sow, that also he will reap.” (Gal. 6:7).

· You must plant in good soil. (Matt. 13:8)

· You must wait for it. It takes time, but planted seeds will eventually bring a harvest.

What good seeds are you planting?

Plant good seeds of excellent work habits

God supplies all your needs (Phil. 4:19), but they are often disguised as raw materials and hard work! God will supply work for you to do (Eph. 2:10), but you must do the work necessary to reap a good harvest from it. Show up to your job on time and with a good attitude. Don’t be lazy! Work hard to accomplish the best results possible with excellence. Work for your employer as though you were actually working for the Lord, Himself.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Col. 3:23 NIV)

Plant good seeds of righteousness

Sow seeds of love and kindness. Don’t treat others the way they necessarily treat you but instead treat them as God has treated you. “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Eph. 4:32 NASB)

“I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’” (Hosea 10:12 NLT)

“I planted…… God gave the growth.” (1 Cor. 3:7)

“The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.” (Psalms 25:14 NKJV)

“The secret of the Lord”

Wow, the “secret of the LORD!” A secret is defined as something confidential, undisclosed, unknown, private, hidden, concealed, or invisible!

How would you like to know God’s secret?

According to this verse you can! And it tells you how! “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear the LORD.”

So, what does it mean to “fear” the LORD?

It’s not what you think, because the kind of “fear” the Bible is talking about in this passage is different than the kind of fear we normally think about such as fright, alarm, panic, anxiety, terror, or trepidation; this kind of fear is “cast out by love” (1 John 4:18). But there is another kind of fear that is good, the “fear of the Lord,” which has a different definition. This kind of fear brings positive results!

What does the Bible mean by the fear of the LORD?

The main Hebrew and Greek words for fear in the Bible can have several shades of meaning, but in the context of the fear of the Lord, they convey a positive reverence.

The Hebrew verb yare can mean “to fear, to respect, to reverence” and the Hebrew noun yirah “usually refers to the fear of God and is viewed as a positive quality. This fear acknowledges God’s good intentions (Ex. 20:20). … This fear is produced by God’s Word (Ps. 119:38; Prov. 2:5) and makes a person receptive to wisdom and knowledge (Prov. 1:7; 9:10)” (Warren Baker and Eugene Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament, 2003, pp. 470-471).

The Greek noun phobos can mean “reverential fear” of God, “not a mere ‘fear’ of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985, “Fear, Fearful, Fearfulness).” This is the type of positive, productive fear Luke describes in the early New Testament Church:

“Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.” (Acts 9:31 NKJV, emphasis added).

One resource includes this helpful summary: “The fear of God is an attitude of respect, a response of reverence and wonder. It is the only appropriate response to our Creator and Redeemer” (Nelson’s NKJV Study Bible, 1997, note on Psalm 128:1).

The promise at the top says that if you fear the Lord (and you now know what that means) “He will show you His covenant!” And, that is wonderful news! A “covenant” is a contract, agreement, undertaking, commitment, guarantee, warrant, pledge, promise, bond, indenture; pact, deal, settlement, arrangement, understanding.

Look at these “fear of God promises” you get

Fountain of life

“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.” (Prov. 14:27 ESV)

Blessing

“Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments.” (Psalm 112:1 NASB)

Wisdom

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” (Prov. 9:10a NASB)

Knowledge

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Prov. 1:7a NASB)

Confidence

“In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. (Prov. 14:26 KJV)

Mercy

“And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.” (Luke 2:50 KJV)

Needs met

“O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.” (Psalms 34:9 KJV)

Prolonged life

“The fear of the LORD prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.” (Prov. 10:27 NASB)

Rescues you

“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.” (Psalms 34:7 NASB)

Fulfills your desires

“He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.” (Psalms 145:19 NASB)

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” (Matt. 6:14 NIV)

There are many examples of forgiveness in both the old and new testaments, here are a few…

Old Testament: Esau forgave his brother Jacob, who had taken his birthright. Joseph forgave his ten brothers who had sold him into slavery. (Gen. 50:19)

New Testament: Steven, the first martyr, forgave those who were stoning him (Acts 7:60). The father of the prodigal son forgave him. (Luke 15:11-32)

Our Example

The most extraordinary example of forgiveness is from Jesus, Himself, who from the cross cried out, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do!” (Luke 23:34 KJV 2000)

Not easy but correct

It can be very difficult sometimes to forgive those who have wronged you, but it is always the right thing to do. Our example is God himself. We are to be merciful to others as He is to us!

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36 ESV)

“for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.” (Phil. 1:5 NLT)

Notice that this verse says, “from the time you first heard it.” They were immediately able to share about Christ from the beginning of their knowledge of Him!

Tell what happened to you!

You don’t have to be a great theologian to share Christ! All you need to do is tell your story. And, every Christian has their own story to tell. Someone put it this way, “Sharing your faith is like one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread!” It is really as simple as that, or should be!

The blind man could see!

The Bible tells about a blind man who was healed by Jesus and was questioned about it by some negative religious leaders. He didn’t have any religious answers for them and only told what had happened to him. It was a powerful statement that stopped their argument.

He said, “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” (John 9:25 NLT)

It’s difficult for anyone to argue against another’s real and personal experience. That’s why personal testimonials are so powerful. And, that’s why you should freely share yours. It has the potential to change lives!

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV)

“I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.” (Prov. 8:20-21 ESV)

Over a hundred years ago, Dr. Russell Herman Conwell traveled the United States telling and retelling the following fantastic story.

A mad search for diamonds

“During the years when diamonds were first being discovered in Africa, a farmer was intrigued by the promise of great wealth. Only one thing stood in his way. His farm had to be sold before he could set off in search of the diamonds that would make him a wealthy man. At last the deal was done and he was free. Free to pursue his dream.

The search was long and painful. Trekking mile after weary mile across deserts and plains, through jungles and mountain passes, the farmer searched for the elusive diamonds. But none could be found.

Finally, penniless, sick, and utterly depressed, he took his own life by throwing himself into a raging river.

A strange looking stone

Back home, the man who had bought the farm carefully tilled the land. One day as he was planting a crop, he came across a strange-looking stone. Carrying it to the farmhouse, he placed it on the mantel.

A visitor to the farmer’s home saw the unusual stone over the fireplace, examined it, then turned to the new owner of the farm and said, “You have found one of the largest diamonds ever known to man.” Further investigation revealed that the entire farm was literally covered with similar magnificent stones. The farm sold by the first farmer turned out to be one of the richest, most productive diamond mines in the world.

It could have been different for him!

After reading the above story, I thought what a difference his life would have been had he known and applied the following promise by faith.

“The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you…” (Deut. 30:9a ESV)

“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Eph. 3:12 NIV)

This is a wonderful power-packed promise! Check it out a word or two at a time with defining scriptures added to clarify each part.

In Him – “… there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12b NIV)

and through faith in Him – “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9 NIV)

we may approach God – “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16 NKJV)

with freedom – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Rom. 8:1-2 NIV) “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36 ESV)

and confidence – “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14 NASB) “For the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” (Prov. 3:26 ESV)

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22 NIV)

Go ahead and do it

While attending a business seminar, the speaker kept saying “if you do this you will be successful,” and he gave many examples of people who had achieved much success following his tried and proven business methods.

I looked around the conference room and saw that there were lots of people present. I thought, “Wow, there soon will be lots of new millionaires when they get back home and start using this great information!”

After the seminar was completed I approached the speaker to thank him for his helpful presentation. I said, “I bet you feel great having helped so many people today become more successful.” He laughed and said, “If only they would actually do what I show them, but sadly, most of them won’t! I see many of these same people repeatedly at my seminars, I tell them the same thing each time, and nothing ever changes with them! They take mountains of notes, but never do the stuff!”

It boils down to this

It does you absolutely no good to know the right information, if you fail to put it to work!

Even though this was a secular business presentation, I know a lot of Christians exactly like this. They keep “listening and learning” but never “doing.”

Look at today’s verse again, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22 NIV).

So, where is the promise?

Simple, whenever you find a warning or command in the Bible, think about what it says and then do the positive thing that it teaches. In this case, you can avoid being deceived by obeying the following command: “Do not merely listen to the word, do what it says.”

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12 NIV)

Double-edged sword, and living and active

The word of God is described in this passage as sharper than a “double-edged sword, and living and active.” The word living means “being alive, not dead” and the word active means, “doing things that require physical movement and energy.”

Powerful when mixed with faith!

I remember being told early on in my Christian life, “the Word of God does the work of God!” How true! The Word of God is very much alive and active, and when mixed with faith, it has the amazing ability to “move mountains” (Matt. 17:20). “Mountains” in your life could represent things that look too large or even impossible for you to do, but nothing is too big for the “living and active Word of God.”

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7 NASB)