Think About Good Things

“Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything  praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8 NKJV 

In an astonishing story published by the BBC over the weekend, it was reported that the fastest runner to cross the Alps says it was an incredible experience.

Runner Sophie Woods became the fastest person to complete the 2,000km (1242-mile) Via Alpina ultramarathon beating both the men's and women's record.

Woods ran the route through storms, heat of up to 37C and dodged floods and wildfires across eight countries.

"Through the whole thing, I was only ever thinking about the day, the hour, the sort of minute that I was in", the runner told BBC Breakfast.

The previous record was 35 days and Woods did it in just 29, crediting ice cream slushies for helping her power through.

And, you know, in the same way Sophie’s thinking helped her endure storms, excessive heat, floods, and wildfires, Paul gives us a list of things to think about to help us overcome the hard times we will all experience as believers. 

He tells us to meditate, which means to fix our thoughts, on “whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,” and virtuous and praiseworthy things.

Why? Because filling our minds with God's word, pondering Scripture, and muttering or reciting it quietly to ourselves at all times destroys the lies of the enemy and reminds us that God is the giver of our strength.

"'I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

You see, the world says that you and I can “power though” anything by our own strength, but the Word says that we are nothing without Christ. The Word reminds us that we are to abide in Christ so that we can think like Him and, therefore, not only discern His will but have the mental, physical, and spiritual strength to overcome the obstacles in our way to fulfill His will. 

So, think about good things by fixing your mind on the Bible and the truths laid out in it “through the whole thing” my friend. This is the only way to ensure that you can continue running the race until the very end.

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that we can do nothing apart from You. Help us to not rely on our own strength, but to look to You at all times. Lord, cause us to understand that we have an enemy who attacks our minds at every opportunity in an attempt to get us to quit running the race. Which is the very reason we must train our minds to meditate on the Word all day, every day and to seek Your will above all else. It’s in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!