“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10
Do you remember the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me?” How old were you when you learned that it isn’t even remotely true? Our words carry power to either build up or to destroy, to wound or to heal.
Think back for a minute. What are some words that have “stuck with you,” for better or worse? Maybe it’s something a parent, teacher, or mentor shared about a strength they saw in you before you could see it in yourself. Maybe it’s a word of affection from a close friend or romantic interest that helped you to see you are wanted and valuable. Or perhaps you’ve endured some wounding words that knocked the wind out of your sails and left deep scars.
Every day, the words we hear and the ones we speak shape the way we live in our story. Every word spoken either magnifies the Cross or the Fall; our Advocate or our accuser. Our words are not neutral. They are either aligning creation on the restorative paths of the Kingdom of Heaven, or else they are amplifying the distorted feedback of hell. Words create worlds. This matters, because before our words escape the threshold of our lips, they are first constructed internally as thoughts.
In part one of this series, we raised a litmus test for the types of thoughts we will grant access into our souls as we asked, “Is it True?”
In part two, we looked at who we’ve become in Christ and asked, “Is it Worthy of My New Nature?”
Today, we lift a third standard to help us mind our minds.
Question 3: “Is it Making Earth More Like Heaven?”
“Finally, brothers and sisters…whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable…think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
“Is it Lovely?”
Lovely: “Promoting what is pleasing and acceptable, in alignment with God’s design and intent; what produces love, affection, and kindness.”
The word we translate “lovely” in Philippians 4 is a compound word, loaded with significance. First, it means to promote what pleases God’s heart. “Lovely” thoughts call righteousness, “righteousness,” and sin, “sin.” They lean back on the Father’s chest and echo every last syllable He is speaking, without redaction or addition.
Second, “lovely” thoughts operate as a conduit that actually carries the love, affection, and kindness of God from His throne to the earth. Your thought life is like God’s Uber Eats, delivering the spiritual sustenance He has prepared to the doorstep of the souls around you.
Practically, there are four ways we can partner with God and think “lovely” thoughts.
1. Think thoughts that increase your love, affection, and kindness toward yourself.
Jesus calls us to “love our neighbors, even as we love ourselves.” This isn’t referring to some twisted form of narcissism or idolatry where we become self-absorbed. (To the contrary, those who are incapable of seeing beyond themselves are, in reality, starving in true ‘love’ for themselves. Love always heals.) By calling us to “love ourselves,” Jesus is inviting us to agree with what our Father is saying about us as beloved children.
Did you know that before you woke up this morning, God already thought more thoughts about you than all of the grains of sand across every seashore that has ever existed…and that He calls every last one of those thoughts, “precious?” (See Psalm 139:17-18.) What could change today if you’d only slow down and grasp just a few of His precious thoughts about you?
Thought Test: Ask, “Does this thought invite me to celebrate who God created me to be? Does it help me ‘love myself’ as He loves me?”
2. Think thoughts that increase your love, affection, and kindness toward GOD.
“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you.” Psalm 63:1
Scripture is full of prayers of intimacy, songs of adoration, and quiet meditations from sons and daughters who chose to commune with God in their thoughts, day and night. Adoration alters our outlook. So does the absence of it.
Thought Test: Ask, “Does this thought deepen my affection and devotion to Jesus, or hinder it?”
3. Think thoughts that increase your love, affection, and kindness toward OTHERS.
I am often surprised at how quickly assumptions and judgments play out in my subconscious without my ever realizing it. I see a stranger pass by or hear the smallest snippet of a conversation, and my mind is fast at work to evaluate and categorize. “Do I agree or disagree?” “Approve or disapprove?”
While it is a necessary and beautiful gift to be able to discern and make sound judgments, can I be honest ? My unchecked evaluations rush to criticism way faster than they champion the Kingdom.
I think of why I wouldn’t have done something the way they did it, as if my values, character, experience, or education have somehow elevated me above my brother. “Haughty” doesn’t look good on redeemed child of God the way “Humility” does. I am at my best when I put myself in my neighbor’s shoes and allow introspection to lead to intercession.
Thought Test: Ask, “Does this thought inspire me to see and celebrate my brother or sister the way God does?” “Does it lead me to push them away with criticism or to draw near to partner with God?"
4. Think thoughts that help equip others to become more loving, affectionate, and kind.
To be a follower of Jesus is to be a disciple who makes disciples. We co-reign with God to bring creation back to the Father. We are called to walk in transformative influence as peacemakers and world changers. Here’s why that matters when it comes to our thoughts:
The thoughts you think will become the floors and ceilings of those you lead.
Stop and read that again. For those who are looking to you, how you choose to think will greatly shape the foundation they build their lives upon. It will also set limits on how high their gaze will be willing to go.
Thought Test: “Does this thought serve those I lead? Does it equip them to be more loving, affectionate, or kind?”
“Is it Admirable?”
Admirable: “Of good report; Promoting blessing and favor.”
One final thought. This is what I call the “Eeyore or Tigger” test. Remember these two beloved characters from Winnie the Pooh? While one walked around everywhere with a dark cloud overhead, the other danced and leapt in uncontainable joy. Think about your thought life. Which looks more like you? God sent His Spirit to fill our redeemed minds so we would radiate with “joy unspeakable” (1 Peter 1:8). THIS is your inheritance, and long before it reaches your words or actions, it is being formed in your mind. May we walk in grace, thinking “admirable” thoughts!
Thought Test: “Whose kingdom does this thought reflect?” “Does it fill me with faith or fear?” “Does it lead me to freedom or condemnation?” “Does it lead me to make the good news of the Gospel my final word?”
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