Think on These Things The subject of our text is an admonition for Christians to ”think”; and to think on eight distinct subjects; namely: truth, honesty, justice, purity, loveliness, good reports, virtue, and praise. The mind is the gate to the soul, and those three great enemies of mankind -– the world, the flesh, and the devil -– are well aware that if the mind of man can be caused to harbour thoughts of sin, the soul will succumb to the temptation. A modern example of this is seen in the great emphasis the Communist Party places on the indoctrination of people into the precepts of their godless and atheistic principles. Another example is modern advertising which uses every means available, continually and persistently to suggest certain products to the minds of men. The liquor and cigarette industries spend tremendous sums of money every year on advertising to educate the people to the use of their products. The cigarette industry greatly increased the sale of cigarettes in one year by spending fabulous sums to convince women that it is socially proper to smoke. Our modern magazine stands are crammed with immoral literature. Children are tempted from every angle by the salesmanship of unprincipled companies seeking to increase the sale of their products, regardless of the moral harm it causes. Oh, that Christian parents would supervise their children’s reading, and feed and fortify their minds daily by reading to them from the Bible! The Christian does not need to fear that his Bible has become antiquated and can no longer cope with the modern things. The Author of the Bible is God, and he is omnipotent. A thousand years are as a day with Him. The Word of God is ageless, and is as pertinent and conducive to Christian living in our modern day as it has ever been. Paul’s advice and counsel to the saints at Philippi to “think on these things” is as valuable as it has ever been. The days of Paul were notorious for extravagance and sin. No doubt there was as much to tempt the Christian of Paul’s day as there has ever been in any age. While in the early Christian era, there were not the elaborate mechanisms for entertainment that there are in this modern day – such as television, radio, movies -– still the opportunity to indulge in sin was ever present. Any student of ancient history knows the extent of national vice and wickedness that went on as a matter of course in the days of the Apostles. And what were the Christians of that day advised to do to counteract such things? Think on the things of God – and those things, which are holy and good! It is unreasonable to think that a Christian can indulge in all manner of thoughts which are contrary to the Spirit of God and the things of God and still retain any degree of proper worship for God in his heart. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” [Proverbs:23:7]). Someone has said that a “man will not be any better than the books he reads.” There is only one all-important Book for the Christian, and that is the Bible. If a man will faithfully read and ponder the Word of God daily, his soul and mind will be elevated and fed. The Bible is the greatest piece of literature ever placed into the hands of men. It is eternal, and it is the source of every moral principle in life. It is the revelation of God and His righteousness, and it is the sole authority for the proper way for men to live. In this day of ten thousand voices clamouring enticements to sin, the Bible still stands mountain-high, proclaiming with voice of thunder that the way of God is right. A Christian must, as our text commands, devote determined and mature thinking to the things of God.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Jul 2013 11:21:39 +0000