Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

God has blessed us with the tremendous ability to think before we act. Presumably we do think before we act. The question is what do we think about during the day? What do we allow our minds to dwell upon? Paul clearly tells us that we have a choice concerning this matter. We can exercise our will when it comes to our thought life. The Catechism tells us that “a virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions” (1803). One thing is for sure, if we do not choose carefully the content of our thoughts, slick marketing campaigns will be happy to provide you with a vast assortment of ideas that are contrary to Philippians 4:8. Do something different today; make a list of five things that fit the criteria listed in today’s verse. Throughout the day consciously think about these things and when you find your thoughts wandering, take out your list and steer your mind to the things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, excellent and worthy of praise. Hopefully today’s word of encouragement has given you something to think about.