Towards the end of 2012, I started a series of posts on Philippians 4:8-9. And then, with the holidays, all the end of year wrap-ups, reviewing my goals, my Life Plan, and One Word for the new year, and the birth of my son, I kind of let it slip through the cracks.

But now, I want to revisit that idea, and write some articles about each of the characteristics listed in this passage.

Paul’s grammar, in the original Greek, gives each of these first six traits distinct and special emphasis. The first one Paul mentions is “whatever is true”.

There are a lot of ways the word “true” can be used, and numerous implications throughout Scripture. But what does Paul intend here? Based on his context and wording, “true” here means that one’s thoughts conform to reality. This seems to be reinforced by the phrase “think on these things.”

This is not the word used for reaching a truth at the end of a logical thought process. This is more of the idea of truthfulness, integrity, character. True means honest, genuine.

That’s a tough quality to find in the twenty-first century. It seems as if everything is ambiguous; that nothing is black and white. the line between truth and falsehood is fuzzy and indistinct and gray. Based on the fact that Paul found it necessary to write this, it must have been much the same in the first century.

Paul’s encouragement to the Philippians, and to us, is to focus on what is true. That means I need to dwell on things that are genuine, that are upright in character. Those are the things I should allow to penetrate my mind. And I can find nothing truer than God’s own Words.

The call to meditate on Scripture can be reinforced by this encouragement from Paul.

May my life reflect the idea of true, as described by Paul. May my thoughts focus on things that are true. And may my words reveal that this is in my heart and mind.

What is the best example of “true” that you know of? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.