Think on what is lovely!!!

THINK ON ... WHATEVER IS LOVELY

" Finally, brethren ... whatever is lovely ... think on these things." Philippians 4:8

We have been looking at Paul's prescription on the things that we are to fill our minds with. We've looked at dwelling on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, and today we come to dwelling on things that are lovely.

There are so many things in life that we can think about that are lovely. The word means things that are pleasing or acceptable. I remember when I was having my emergency appendectomy the doctor told me to think about the nice place in the world I had been or wanted to go.
My mind went to Bermuda - one of my favorite places. (I didn't remember a thing during the surgery ...)

One our first trip to Bermuda, I remember riding a moped with my wife Jan and my former boss and his wife. He was showing us parts of the island that the average tourist wouldn't normally see. We came to a spot where everywhere we turned there was beauty beyond description. Looking towards the ocean we say that beautiful greenish water that was magnificent and the pink sand. Looking up we say beautiful palm and banana trees and these gorgeous hibiscus plants that were in full bloom.
I remember making the statement, "If this is what beauty is after the fall - what must the earth looked like before it took place." It was almost breath-taking.

When I hear the phrase "dwell on what is lovely" I am reminded of my wife. Solomon in both Proverbs and the Song of Solomon instructs us on the importance of enjoying the "wife of our youth." In recent days I have heard numerous stories of men who have decided to check out on their marriages because they have lost interest in the wife God has given them. They have allowed their hearts and minds to stray, and the results have been disastrous. Several years ago Jan gave me a picture of her that sits on both of my desks. It is a constant reminder to me of her love for me and my love for her. Throughout the day my eyes see that picture and I am able to captivated by her.

In a world that is trying desperately to capture the minds of men to stray, we need to be reminded to allow our minds to dwell on what is lovely. What are you thinking about today? Are you dwelling on what is lovely? Or have you allowed your mind to wander into places it should not be going? If so - take those thoughts captive.

Great quote: Sin arises when things that are a minor good are pursued as though they were the most important goals in life. If money or affection or power are sought in disproportionate, obsessive ways, then sin occurs. And that sin is magnified when, for these lesser goals, we fail to pursue the highest good and the finest goals. So when we ask ourselves why, in a given situation, we committed a sin, the answer is usually one of two things. Either we wanted to obtain something we didn't have, or we feared losing something we had. Augustine