Whatever is Lovey

Today's Topical Bible Study

Whatever is Lovely... by Randy Newman

Philippians 4:8 admonishes us to think about things which are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. If you’ve ever sought to apply that kind of mindfulness, you may have emphasized (as I have tended to) so-called spiritual things. And you’d have good reason to do so. Most of the terms employed by the Apostle point in the direction of our relationship with God through the saving work of our Messiah. Things that are “true” line up with what God has revealed through his word. The “noble” things become incarnated through practices encouraged in the book of Proverbs. That which is “right” conforms to the standards set by God’s character. “Pure” things show up in moral behavior that brings glory, rather than shame, to the name of our God. The vocabulary Paul selected for this verse has resonance with and allusion to teaching found throughout the Old Testament. But two of the terms, “lovely” and “admirable,” come from other sources. Both words appear only once in the New Testament. Gordon Fee, in his excellent commentary says, “With this word [lovely] and the next [admirable] we step off New Testament turf altogether onto the more unfamiliar ground of Hellenism—but not hellenistic moralism…. This word has to do primarily with what people consider “loveable,” in the sense of having a friendly disposition toward.” In other words, part of the mental discipline of mindfulness or even “taking every thought captive” could include thoughtful appreciation for displays of beauty or order or goodness that God has woven into our world through his general revelation of creation. To be sure, we should be careful never to elevate general revelation above God’s special revelation of his word. But to dismiss physical beauty or any pointer to goodness, grace, and design, would be a failure to appreciate God’s hand in all of life. This is the meaning true meaning of learning to love your neighbors!