Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9
James McNeill Whistler was still a boy when his family moved to Russia, where his father had been hired to help construct a railway between St. Petersburg and Moscow. While there, Whistler studied art and discovered the talent that would shape the course of his life. He eventually became one of the most influential artists of his generation. His best-known painting, Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1—commonly called Whistler’s Mother—was purchased by the French government in 1891 and is now displayed in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. The story is told that when a shipment of blank canvases intended for Whistler’s studio was lost, someone asked whether they had a great value. Whistler replied, “Not yet!”
Because we live in a fallen world, all of us experience things going wrong. Sometimes these are major problems and sometimes they are minor annoyances, but the most important thing is not the problem itself but how we respond to it. We cannot always control the circumstances we face, but we can choose what thoughts we entertain and dwell upon. Paul did not tell us merely to think positively or ignore unpleasant realities. He instructed us to fill our minds with what is true, pure, virtuous, and worthy of praise. Then he added, “Those things…do.” Godly thinking should lead to godly living. As we deliberately direct our thoughts toward the truths of God’s Word and put those truths into practice, “the God of peace shall be with” us.
