Note 26 at Phil. 4:8: In closing Paul admonishes the Philippian believers to reflect and meditate upon eight positive principles of thinking which would lead to victorious Christian living (Rom. 8:6). In the Greek this sentence is constructed in a "present imperative," which is a command to do something in the future which involves a continuous and repeated action.

These eight principles of thought to reflect and ponder upon are: (1) things that are "true," that is, honorable, truthful and upright; (2) things that are "honest," that is, honorable, truthful, genuine, not characterized by deception or fraud; (3) things that are "just," that is, in accordance with what is right, or right conduct; any circumstance, fact or deed which is right; (4) things that are "pure," free from defilement or impurity; (5) things that are "lovely," pleasing, agreeable, inspiring love or affection; (6) a "good report," that is, a saying or report that is positive and constructive rather than negative and destructive; (7) "virtue," which is moral excellence, righteousness and goodness; (8) "praise," or what is praiseworthy; expressing one's esteem of a person and his virtues.

Note 27 at Phil. 4:8: Notice Paul's use of the word "whatsoever." Some Christians think you can only fulfill this verse by thinking on "church" things or "religious" things. But Paul says "whatsoever" falls into these eight categories should be the focus of our attention. Therefore, it is not only thinking about spiritual truths that is important. We also need to be able to discern natural truths from lies and think on those things too.

Our lives should not be "departmentalized" into "spiritual" and "secular." Truth is truth whether we are at church or at home. We should think and deal justly whether with our Christian brothers and sisters or with the public on our jobs. We should keep our minds stayed on the good things God has given us in the natural, such as family, health, and work, just as we should think about righteousness, justification, forgiveness, and so forth.

Focusing on the good in every area of our lives is what Paul is advocating. Failure to recognize God's blessings in every day living will cause us care and anxiety. Recognizing God's hand in even the smallest things will cause peace and keep our hearts and minds following hard after the Lord.