In Philippians 4:8-9, Paul gives us a detailed list of characteristics that should define our thought life. From whatever is true, to whatever is noble, to whatever is right, to whatever is pure, to whatever is lovely, to whatever is admirable, these qualities define the level of our thinking.
And, ultimately, each one of them leads straight to God.
So it shouldn’t surprise us that the last phrase in the list, separated by hyphens in order to summarize or rephrase the list, should do the same thing. The final phrase Paul uses summarizes the entire scope of proper thought, and it, too, takes us directly to God.
Paul uses two words in this final phrase, “excellent” and “praiseworthy.” Let’s take a look at each of these words.
Excellent
This word conveys the idea that something is eminently good, valuable beyond value. In Stoic philosophy, it describes man’s highest goal and true destiny. At its root, it even carries the idea of manliness or valor; something worthy of intrinsic praise or virtue.
What can be more worthy of praise than God himself? Who is more good than God? Jesus even asked this question and implied the answer when he asked the rich, young ruler “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:18-19).
Praiseworthy
This is perhaps the simplest of the words in Paul’s list. The idea of praiseworthy conveys something that has worth or value, something worthy of being praised. At the most basic level, it means close to the same thing as the term excellence, again bringing us directly to God, who is worthy of our praise like nothing else.
Of the eleven times this word is used in the New Testament, all of them are translated as “praise” or “worthy of praise” except for one, and there it is translated as “fame,” with much the same connotation (2 Corinthians 8:18).
Both of these words point us to God. Just as they summarize the previous list, the directs us to the source of all that is excellent and praiseworthy… God himself.
So, as we direct our thoughts in the God-honoring ways that Paul calls us to, may they ever be directed toward God in all things. A lofty goal? Perhaps. But a worthwhile one nonetheless.
This is my encouragement to you: Think well, my friends. Think well.
What do you do to keep your thoughts centered upon God? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
This is such a great post. I find that the part of my walk with Christ that I struggle with the most is my thought life. In particular, my attitudes toward other people. It is so easy to slip into a judgmental, condemning thought process. Yuck! I hate it and that is something I constant have to be conscious of and ask the Lord forgive me for and cleanse me of.
It’s too easy to slip into that negativity. I have to continually watch myself. And then I have to continually ask for help, from others and from God, too.