-Having just exhorted us towards joy and peace as well as mutual love, Paul gives us a list of things on which to focus. Things that could steal our joy and stress us out are undoubtedly not found on this list. So in addition to the direct command(s) he’s just given us, Paul here is saying, take into account whatever things fit these descriptions. Count on these things, any of them, and don’t let yourself focus on whatever things don’t match. It’s not necessarily the complete avoidance of the negative, but rather accentuating the positive. As in the way people are trained to recognize counterfeit money - they focus on the good ones, and get really good at knowing what those look like.
-So first, Paul tells us to focus and count on things which are true. As opposed to lies and doubts and uncertain speculations about future things which are out of our control - don’t put any stock in those things. Much of our self-talk no doubt consists of lies about ourselves and others - false accusations straight from the father of lies himself, the one who in fact does this constantly (Revelation 12.10). Focus on what you know to be true - on what God says in His Word, and on present reality. Each day has enough cares of its own (Matthew 6.34). THINK ABOUT IT, WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU KNOW TO BE TRUE? WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT YOU? WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT THAT OTHER PERSON? AND WHAT DOES HE SAY ABOUT HIMSELF? As much as anything else today, it is true that God is in complete control, and He is breathtakingly good. He goes ahead of you and with you and will not fail you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 4.31, Deuteronomy 31.6, Deuteronomy 31.8, Joshua 1.5). He will not allow your foot to slip; He Who keeps you will not slumber (Psalm 121.3). He wipes out your transgressions FOR HIS SAKE and will not remember your sins (Isaiah 43.25). This is the kind of truth on which we must ground our lives - trustworthy, take-it-to-the-bank, good-as-gold, reliable, unalterable, unchanging (remember, truth does not change). Building our house on shifting sand is no way to truly experience the joy for which we were made (cf Matthew 7.24-27). Focus on what you know to be true today.
-We should also count on that which is dignified and invites reverence, worthy of being revered. It could be noble deeds of honor, or people who have conducted themselves such that they are worthy of honor and respect (cf 1Timothy 3.8, 1Timothy 3.11, Titus 2.7). These ‘nobles’ are examples to us, real heroes. They are sources of inspiration and hope in the midst of hard times. Focus on things like these. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE HONORABLE? If you have trouble thinking of any, perhaps it’s time to go looking for a few noble heroes... (and yet remember that even the best nobles this side of heaven will never be perfect...)
-Dikaios means right or righteous, conforming to divine and human laws, just. It is the way something is ‘supposed’ to be. Unfortunately, there is much that is wrong with the world. The world is broken, people are broken, relationships are broken. Things are not the way they were designed to be. People do not treat each other right. Things do not work the way they are supposed to. Circumstances don’t always turn out right. I can focus on the brokenness, or I can focus on things that are right. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE RIGHT?
-Incidentally, this invites a commentary on a phenomenon known as the nightly news (altho today it can be round the clock!). What invariably is our favorite part of those programs? Isn’t it the ‘human interest stories’? Yes, it’s good news, those stories of things taking place in the world that are in fact right and honorable and true. The rest of those programs are devoted to disseminating information about things that are wrong and despicable and tragic. No doubt they are driven by a worldview that is fallen and secular and opposed to the things of God (Ephesians 2.2). Not that we need to stick our heads in a hole and remain unaware of human tragedy. Part of being a good neighbor in a fallen world involves knowing what needs need to be met. But the constant stream of negativity and speculation spewing forth from the various ‘news’ outlets of our day is something that is perhaps best kept at most on more of a quick perusal level.
-Pure is hagnos, moral and spiritual purity of a very high degree, but that which allows for the possibility of pollution, thus it is distinguished from absolute holiness (hagios). Hagnos would not then be strictly applied to God the Father, but both words would readily apply to Christ, as He was tempted and could have chosen to sin (otherwise there would have been no temptation - cf Luke 4.2, Hebrews 4.15, Hebrews 2.18). God the Father could not be so tempted (James 1.13). So, WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE PURE AND UNPOLLUTED? Think of a cloudless blue sky, a field blanketed with pristine white snow, a sparkling flawless diamond, the miracle of life that is a newborn child, an expanse of nighttime starry sky, a spectacular sun slowly setting across an open sea, a picturesque panorama of unspoiled wilderness (no doubt you can think of others). Focus on any or several of these things for a minute - can you not feel your spirit lifting? They are no doubt glimpses of paradise. They are reflections of the divine. That’s what paul is talking about. Get your gaze up out of the garbage and the chaos, and take things like these into account. Put stock in things like these, pursue things like these and let them somehow factor into your thoughts as well as the decisions you make.
-Things that are lovely... the word is prosphilés, or towards love (phileo). It means adapted and able to excite love or delight. Things that are beautiful, exquisite, things which can cause pleasure when exposed to any of the five senses - a lovely sight, or a lovely smell or taste, or a beautiful sound, or something that feels exquisite to the touch. It is certainly related to the idea of purity. A flawless diamond would be considered both pure AND exquisite. A magnificent sunset certainly excites delight for the eyes (in concert with the heart and mind of course). Consider as well the charming beauty of Eve and her daughters which our eyes also delight to behold. The intoxicating aroma of various perfumes or spices (such as cinnamon or vanilla) does the same for our noses. Similarly, such spices along with things like sugar and honey and countless other flavors contribute to a practically endless array of tantalizing tastes in things we love to eat and and drink. Yes, consider all the things God has created that are lovely, that are full of potential delight. He Himself delights in that which is pleasurable - in fact God has been described as the happiest being in the universe! He instilled in His creatures the same capacity to experience pleasure and delights to give them good things to enjoy (most notably Himself as The Most Enjoyable). And of course the end of earthly delight is intended to be and should be gratitude and worship to the One Who created and provided it.
-So Paul says to focus on the things which are lovely, things which are ‘pros-philés’ (towards or exciting phileo - love/delight). The problem faced by fallen man is that we tend to overindulge in or want to own the things in which we delight. It is the cotton candy syndrome, the law of diminishing returns layered over the illusion of ownership. We imagine that possessing an object will somehow satisfy our deepest longings, will mitigate the gnawing hunger of the infinite abyss - the Creator-shaped hole in our hearts which can only truly be filled by the One Who made us - but it is a fool's paradise. Those who have gone away from God in their hearts or steer clear of Him altogether wind up looking to the lovely to fulfill their longings, and not only never fill that abyss, but miss out on life’s greatest Joy. How unfortunate that God’s people miss this as well (albeit to a lesser extent), and inadvertently contribute to the misconception that God is a cosmic killjoy, when He is in fact the happiest Being in the universe. In the words of John Ortberg, we will not understand God until we understand this about Him...
-The next word is euphémos, which is related to our modern word, euphemism. It literally means good or well-spoken (of). A few commentators suggest that euphémos should not be understood in a passive sense (as in something which is euphemized), but rather in an active sense, thus wellspeaking, winning, gracious (so, something which euphemizes). Consider, however, the context: Paul here has given us six plural adjectives and two singular nouns which can describe a variety of very positive things, circumstances, realities, and this could certainly include people who help create those. If euphémos is active (i.e. something that euphemize-ES), it would limit all the whatever to which Paul is referring here to people, since things such as circumstances and things generally speaking do not speak well of anything, (because of course they do not speak at all). It makes more sense in context to suggest that euphémos refers to things which are euphemized. Anything which is spoken well of (or should be). The two nouns Paul gives us next serve to reinforce this picture. All that to say, WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE WELL-SPOKEN OF, THAT DO ENJOY A GOOD REPUTATION? It should go without saying that excluded here are things of low moral value which might be extolled by people of low moral character. Similarly, we will most likely want to include things which may not be well-spoken of by everyone (things of high moral value can be subject to criticism by people of low moral character)(Jesus Christ and the Word of God come to mind).
-Excellence is areté. Here Paul posterizes the oft-employed yet ultimately lame justification that ‘there is nothing wrong with it’ - and it extends to the things on which we focus as well those in which we engage. Paul raises the bar beyond what is permissible or even good to that which is excellent. In fact, most times areté refers to God Himself. He is to be our priimary focus and is our ultimate example. to be sure, the God Who embodies all glory and excellence (Isaiah 43.21, 2Peter 1.3) has called His people to excellence (cf 2Peter 1.5), and the enemy of such can often be that which is merely good. Our standards frankly are too low. We should not settle for asking ourselves if there is anything wrong with something but rather we must elevate and narrow our focus onto that which is truly sublime (of such excellence, beauty, or grandeur as to inspire great admiration and awe). Seriously, why waste your time on anything that is sub-standard? Even and especially in times of hardship - it is always possible to find things that are excellent, and elevating our focus onto these helps to inspire and motivate and keep us going.
-Finally, Paul says to focus on and consider any epainos - meaning a tale upon, any tale of praise or commendation upon or about a person, object or event. Again, this would most often refer to praise directed towards God Himself (Ephesians 1.12, Philippians 1.11, 1Peter 1.7), but it can also refer to commendation given to people by God (Romans 2.29, 1Corinthians 4.5) or other people (1Peter 2.14). These are the verbal descriptions of the sublime excellencies to which Paul just alluded, and to which we would do well to pay attention.
-We must not simply have passive thoughts about these things, but should actively take them into account and let them factor into the things we do and the decisions we make. remember the context - Paul has been exhorting his readers to a lifestyle of standing firm in the Lord, living in harmony and leniency with one another, unremitting rejoicing, and exhaustive prayer and gratitude which centers on the sovereignty and goodness of God as a way to eradicate joy-stealing worry and anxiety. Elsewhere we are exhorted to let no unwholesome words come out of our mouths. Here we are being told to let no unwholesome objects impact our choices. We must be taking into account only the things which are really good - not just a little bit good, but excellent. Sublime. Absolutely beautiful. Miraculous even. Focus and count on these things, dwell on them, and factor them in when you are determining what to do or how to respond. There is so much wrong with the world, so much brokenness. When you have the chance, when you are looking for something to consider or contemplate, direct your attention to examples of excellence. Movies. Articles. Books. Music. Pictures. Works of art. Real life loveliness and miracles taking place and right there for the eye to see all around us, every day. Things of purity and beauty. Things which portay dignity and nobility. Things which are true and right. Things which show off the breathtaking goodness of God, Who despite the long incessant war on His creation continues faithfully working all things for good (Romans 8.28) and making all things new (Revelation 21.5). He shows off His wonders in so many ways - in and thru people and all throughout our world, in nature, in the cosmos, in all sorts of nooks and crannies of creation. We really only need to have eyes to see, and probably to slow down and pause long enough to get a good glimpse.
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