Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1334 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Fix Your Thoughts – Meditation Monday

Wisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1334 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy.

For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life, meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you, too, will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind.

In order to properly meditate, we must have a proper mindset or attitude. We must fix our thoughts on appropriate life attributes. So today, let us consider…

Fix Your Thoughts

To fix something, that either implies that something is broken or it needs our undivided attention so that it does not become broken. Both of these concepts could be applied to today’s meditation. Before we can fix or focus our thoughts, we must plug into the proper mindset. This is what meditation allows us to do. Before we study this further, let me set the background by reading Philippians 4:4-9, "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again — rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considered in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me — everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you."

This is a great passage to establish a mindset of meditation. First, we clear our minds of that which is detrimental, then we fill our minds with that which is beneficial.

Sometimes the trials and pressures of life make it almost impossible to be happy. But Paul did not tell his readers to be happy. He encouraged them to be full of joy in the Lord. In fact, he said it twice in verse 4. Not some of the time, but always. Not just a little joy, but full of joy. Christ is the One in whom the sphere of rejoicing was to take place. Surely there are many circumstances in which Christians cannot be happy. But they can always be full of joy in the Lord and delight in Him. Paul himself was an excellent example of one who had inner joy when external circumstances—such as persecution, imprisonment, the threat of death—were against him.

In addition to joy, believers are to be considerate or gentle, which should be evident to everyone. This suggests a forbearing, non-retaliatory spirit. Joy, an inner quality in relation to circumstances, may not always be seen; but the way one reacts to others, whether in gentleness or harshness, will be noticed. Why be gentle? Because the Lord is coming soon.

Joy and gentleness, accompanied with an awareness of Christ’s imminent return, should dispel anxiety. Paul’s appeal to the Philippians is don’t worry or be anxious about anything. This was not a call to a carefree or careless life. To care and be genuinely concerned is one thing. To worry is another. Paul and Timothy cared for the people they ministered to, yet they retained trust in God. Jesus warned against worry, which obviously negates, or even eliminates trust in God. Matthew 6:25–33 is a great passage for further meditation on overcoming worry.

Paul exhorted the Philippians to pray instead of worry. Praying with thanksgiving involves trusting God. Four words are used here to describe a believer’s communion with God. Prayer (proseuchē) describes a believer’s approach to God. Petition (deēsei) emphasizes requesting an answer to a specific need. Thanksgiving (eucharistias) is an attitude of heart that should always accompany one’s prayers. Requests (aitēmata) speak of definite and specific things asked for.

When the exhortations of verses 4–6 are heeded, then you will experience God’s peace (v. 7), which will exceed anything that you can understand. The Lord Jesus Christ is a believer’s peace (Ephesians 2:14), and every child of God has peace with God through justification by faith (Romans 5:1). But the peace of (or from) God relates to the inner tranquility of a believer’s close walk with God.

This peace of God does exceed anything that we can understand. That is, it is beyond a person’s ability to comprehend. This peace guards your heart and mind, which is the prerequisite for meditation. Guard (phrourēsei, also used in 1 Peter 1:5) translates a military term, which means “to protect or garrison by guarding.” Like soldiers assigned to watch over a certain area, God’s peace guards the hearts and minds, that is, the emotions and thoughts, of God’s children.

Now that we have prepared our minds by establishing a proper mindset, we are now prepared to fix our thoughts.

By the words, and now, Paul indicated he was getting to the point of proper meditation. Six attributes are mentioned as objects of a wholesome thought life, which we are to fix or focus on. Here are those attributes.

True - things are, of course, the opposite of dishonest and unreliable.

Honorable - refers to what is dignified and worthy of respect.

Right - refers to conformity to God’s standards.

Pure - refers to what is wholesome, not mixed with moral impurity.

Lovely - speaks of what promotes peace rather than conflict.

Admirable - relates to what is positive and constructive rather than negative and destructive.

These six attributes of thought are then described as excellent and worthy of praise.

The Christian life involves proper thinking, which is focused thinking. Fixing our thoughts. The Christian life also includes doing righteous deeds.

Since the Philippians knew Paul well, he could ask them to follow his example. They had learned, received, and heard from him. I pray that you can say the same about me. As we put these things into practice, through meditation, then the God of Peace will be with us.

That is a wrap for today’s meditation. Next week, we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1333 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player, so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most of all, your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!