”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. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil 4:8-9)

From an early age, most of us heard the phrase “you have to practice”. Whether it was sports, a musical instrument, singing, drawing, etc., we have heard those four simple words from a parent, coach, or teacher. And—let’s be honest—most of us in our adolescence and immaturity rolled our eyes, shrugged our shoulders, or maybe even scoffed at the person giving us such sage advice. In the closing part of his letter to the church at Philippi, the Apostle Paul exhorts believers to consider and practice a different set of things that go far beyond a tangible talent; things that are the building blocks of spiritual maturity and holy living. 

In Philippians 4:8, Paul lists six categories of things about which we are to think, consider, and pray:

1. Whatever is true
2. Whatever is honorable (dignified)
3. Whatever is just (right)
4. Whatever is pure
5. Whatever is lovely
6. Whatever is commendable

In the list, Paul starts with things that are found in God and His Word (whatever is “true”) with the remaining five categories flowing from that source. “Honorable” (or dignified) speaks to things that are serious and worthy of respect; “just” speaks to things that are according to God’s righteous standard; “pure” speaks to things that are holy; “lovely” speaks to things that are pleasing; “commendable” speaks to kind words and deeds.

Not only do the final five areas flow from the first, they also cover three overarching categories that are to order the believer’s life, namely our words, actions, and attitudes towards God, ourselves, and others.

So how are we to think? Is it enough to have a few fleeting thoughts of God and His mercies sprinkled in among all of our other pressing responsibilities? Or does Paul have something else in mind—something that truly enables God’s Word to not only be our foundation each day, but an umbrella that encompasses our entire life and shields us from the deluge of the world around us? The kind of thinking that Paul wants us to do is what Thomas White describes as “a serious, solemn thinking and considering the things of God”—otherwise known as biblical meditation.

In today’s culture, meditation can be a curious word, used by all sorts of people with entirely different aims. From Christianized versions of ancient mysticism to the Hindu and Buddhist practices of mindfulness, yoga, and transcendental meditation, these pagan practices—often disguised as benignly secular—have sought to move meditation as far away from its biblical origin as possible. As a result, generations of Christians have sought to avoid the word meditation like a plague. However, we must not be afraid to fully embrace biblical meditation as a core spiritual discipline, one that is present throughout the Old and New Testaments. Richard Greenham, in his book Grave Counsels, and Godly Observations, explains that “[biblical] meditation is the exercise of the mind, whereby we [call] to our remembrance that which we know, do further debate of it, and apply it to ourselves, that we might have some use of it in our practice.” Meditating on God and the truth of His Word is precisely what Paul has in mind when he tells us to “think about these things.” As Christians, we are to fill our mind with the things of God above all else.

But Paul doesn’t stop with thinking. Just as James says that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26), Paul instructs the Philippians (Phil 4:9) to practice not only that which they have learned and received, but what they have heard Paul say and seen him do. Paul is bluntly charging them by saying that he practices what he preaches—are they? He is saying that all of these truths that you’ve been taught, all the things that you know to be just and pure, these are things you must do, not just think about. By using the word practice, he is implying we must put what we know to action and do it over, and over, and over again. William Bates, in On Devine Meditation summarizes it by saying that “Meditation is the serious exercise of the understanding, whereby our thoughts are fixed on the observation of spiritual things in order to practice [them]” and goes on to warn us that “If our meditation be merely speculative, it is but like a winter sun, which shines but [does] not warm.” Just as we are instructed from an early age that we must practice something every day to get “good” at it, we must practice the things of God if they are to truly transform us and those around us. It is to be our way of life, not just an occasional activity.

As we begin another year, many of us will make some sort of resolution to improve our lives in the coming year. Some want to get physically healthier by exercising, or maybe mentally healthier by reading more books. While they can certainly be good things in and of themselves, let us have an even greater resolve to meditate on the things of God each day so that we might “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). For it is our obedience to Christ and the putting into practice God’s Word that enables us to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1a) so that “we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Eph 4:14).

Here are three recommended books to help you put your mind to work in thinking about and practicing all of God’s Word:

1. God’s Battle Plan of the Mind, by David W. Saxton
2. The Christian Mind: Escaping Futility, by William Edgar
3. Grave Counsels, and Godly Observations, by Richard Greenham (free)