Philippians 4:8
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.
It seems that we all too often replace excellence with convenience. We tend to get by with the least amount of effort, time, or cost. As a result, we fail to encounter excellence. We surely can think of examples in the human family, but why spend the time trying to think of illustrations from mankind, when we can use the life of Jesus Christ as the epitome of excellence and also One who is praiseworthy.
In today’s Scripture, Paul lists four qualities that lead to excellence and praiseworthiness: TRUE – NOBLE – LOVELY – ADMIRABLE. Apply each of these qualities in the life and character of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
TRUE: Jesus is True! His Word is true and His actions are true. All that can be known about truth is to be found in Him.
NOBLE: The Greek word for noble can be defined as “WELL BORN.” It is good to recall the birth of Jesus. He was born of a virgin. That is humanly impossible. He was born of the Holy Spirit. That was the supernatural provision by God to provide the perfect Lamb to be slain for the sins of the world.
LOVELY: Jesus was and is lovely. If we are to think of lovely as being pleasing and agreeable, then Jesus is certainly lovely.
ADMIRABLE: It seems that the world clamors for bad reports and the media works overtime searching for bad news and then glorifies it. We need to see in Jesus the living example of One who was always worthy of a good report.
How is your thought life? Are you getting bitter or better? Think about the bad news and get bitter. Think about Jesus and get better!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil