Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
~Philippians 4:8~
Did you realize that God knows you even better then you know yourself? It’s true! Psalm 139:1-2 records David exclaiming, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me!…you discern my thoughts from afar.” Created by God, you are known and loved by Him. Through entrusting your life to Jesus Christ, He redeems you, comes to live in your heart, and leads you to honor Him with everything you do, even with the thoughts you think.
Sometimes, honoring God with our thoughts is really difficult, but, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.” Instead, “…the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died” (2 Corinthians 5:14 ESV). Our minds can now deny the sin that enslaved us and focus on whatever is honorable!
Scrub’ A Dub Dub- Time to Honor God!
“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” ~2 Timothy 2:21 ESV
Our Master wants to use us for His glory! Intentionally focusing our minds on whatever is honorable, instead of letting our thoughts wander to things the don’t please God, is one way we can cleanse ourselves from “what is dishonorable.” Then, we will be “useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”
“Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.” ~2 Corinthians 7:1 NLT
The Bible=Truth Grid
What is classified as “dishonorable?” Some things like stealing or lying are obviously dishonorable, while other things are disputable. Either way, the Bible is our Truth grid, where we should always look to determine what honors God or what doesn’t.
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.'” ~John 8:31
Seeking God and Taking Our Thoughts Captive to Him
Naturally sinful, our thoughts have a habit of behaving selfishly and dishonorably. Thinking about whatever is honorable can only come from the Holy Spirit’s power. According to Deuteronomy 4:29, “…you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Earnestly, we shall seek God with our whole hearts and “… strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up” (Hebrews 12:1 NLT). Then, like finding a drink of pure water in a vast desert, we shall find the hope and the refuge that our souls thirst for all the day long. So it is with our thoughts; if we seek Jesus in the things that occupy our minds, we will find Him!
2 Corinthians 10:5 goes on to explain, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” When we come upon dishonorable things that grieve the Holy Spirit inside us, we turn away from them and redirect our thoughts onto whatever is honorable. By doing this, we seek God with all our might, take every thought captive to obey Him, and stay focused on the Truth– Jesus!
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Other Things to Read About Honoring God With Our Thoughts and Actions:
- Probverbs 3
- Hebrews 12
- Matthew 22:34-40
- 1 Corinthians 13
- Ephesians 6:10-18
- Think About… Directing Our Thoughts on Jesus
- I heard a speech on the topic of Jesus’ primary reason for dying on the cross by Bob Sjorn, one of the writers of Cat and Dog Theology. It really helped me realize that Christ’s sacrifice was not all about me, but more so for glorifying the Father and bringing honor to Him. His talk really clarified my thought process of what Christianity is all about. It is not about us, but about Jesus, who is everything (Revelation 21:6)! I think this everlasting Truth is really helpful when you are being intentional about honoring God with your thoughts, because it takes the focus off of self, and puts it onto the one who deserves it- God! I have never read the book myself written by Bob Sjorn, but if you would like to read up on it, find the book HERE. Thank you for reading! I hope God has used this blog post to stir in your heart!
