God has made a home for our mind and sentenced it to house arrest.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8
True - Is this thought in accordance with the actual state of affairs?
Honorable - Does this thought have dignity? Is this thought worthy of the King's court?
Right - Is this thought in accordance with what is proper? Is this the proper time and place for this thought?
Pure - Does this thought have any pollutants - even small ones? Is the thought unalloyed?
Lovely - Does this thought inspire warm-hearted affection for God and my neighbor?
Good Repute - If others knew this thought was in my mind would this contradict my profession of devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ?
Excellence - Does this thought excel when compared with other thoughts? Will this thought cause me to excel to even loftier thoughts?
Worthy of Praise - Is this thought something I could bring directly in the courts of the Lord and thank Him for it?
A brother in our fellowship pointed out a more excellent way of looking at these verses. Simply insert "Christ" in the character descriptions.
Finally, brethren, [Christ] is true, [Christ] is honorable, [Christ] is right, [Christ] is pure, [Christ] is lovely, [Christ] is of good repute, [Christ is excellent] and [Christ is] worthy of praise, dwell on [Christ].
