Philippians 4:8, 9 “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 by any virtue, and if there by 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.”
You simply cannot remain with a positive attitude if you’re not thinking on that that are “pure, true, and lovely” as we just read in the verse. Those virtues also include thinking things that are pure, true, and lovely about other people.
People as we know are not perfect, and we won’t be until we leave this world for heaven. But we are constantly being perfected. We are constantly striving in that direction as we give our attention to the word and prayer and to fellowship with God and with others of like, precious faith.
When we give our attention to the Word, it’s important that we give our attention to the entire word of God, not just parts of it. For example, the Bible says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). Yet how many Christians have you heard say, in effect, “I don’t need to go to church. I can get just as much from the preacher on TV.” These same Christians often justify their position by saying they’ve tried different churches but were not happy with the pastors or the church people.
Pastors are not perfect either! If they were, they would have no church to pastor, because churches are not perfect either! I’m not making excuses for people’s imperfections, but I am trying to convey that we should be constantly striving for perfection in God, and at the same time, we should realize that others are doing the same.
It’s been said that our Christian walk, like a train, runs on two rails: faith and love. Without strong love, there can be no strong faith. Show me a person who is strong in faith, and I’ll show you a person who is strong in love. The opposite is also true: you me a person who is strong in love, and I’ll show you someone who is strong in faith. Faith and love go together; they work hand in hand.
Galatians 5:6 “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.”
Anyone can dwell on the negative, but it takes someone with backbone to dwell on the positive. What’s that mean? It means that if you’re going to go with the positive, you’re going to have to go upstream against the crowd. For example, you might have to go against the crowd that is putting someone else down. You may have to befriend someone who’s been picked on and abused. That is love’s way.
FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE IN OTHERS
Look for the good in others. We can always find something positive in others if we will simply look for it. For example, one may have a especially good reputation as being truthful and honest. Others have a reputation of being diligent and faithful. Those are examples of positive qualities we should look for instead of focusing on the negative.
One way to keep a positive outlook toward the faults and imperfections of other is to pray for them! Paul the Apostle practiced this, and so should we.
Philippians 1:3-5 “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”
Notice that even though the Philippians weren’t perfect—they weren’t doing everything exactly right—Paul said, “I thank my God every time I remember you.” Every time he thought about them, what did he remember about them? He remembered that they were his partners in the gospel.
If every time a certain person comes to your mind, you think something negative about him or her, you need to change what you’re thinking. You need to renew your mind to think something positive about that person. Find something positive –admirable or praiseworthy—and then think on that when he or she comes to mind. Consistently doing that will change your outlook on life.
You may be thinking, “How could Paul thank God for and think good things about everyone he remembered in the Philippian church?”
First, Paul was a person of prayer and the Word. We can look at his life and see that is how he had stayed positive in a negative world. Second, Paul chose to thank God for those people and to pray for them. We have a choice about what we think or say when we remember others.
WE MUST REMAIN POSITIVE, IF WE ARE TO GIVE HOPE TO THE LOST
As Christians, we need to be busy about our Father’s business and concentrate on the fields of harvest rather than the faults of others. Paul practiced this and exhorted us to do the same.
Philippians 4:9 “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Daily we must put into practice the things that will keep us positive in a negative world. We must let our light shine and hold out hope to the lost and dying and those who are hurting. The people of God—the body of Christ—are the only light the unsaved have in this world. So let’s be a positive influence in their lives.
We are not to hide our heads in the sand and ignore everything that is negative. But in the midst of negativism and despair, we can stay positive with the power of God in operation in our lives. We can overcome the negative with the positive and receive the blessings and benefits of God by thinking and acting positively in line with His Word.
HOPE, HELP, AND HEALING
If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to step our of negativism and defeat. Make prayer, the word, and walking in the light of God’s love your first and foremost priority. We need to demonstrate the love and power of God to a world that is full of evil and hate. We need to walk in love toward our fellow man, especially toward those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10).
If we’re not walking in the light of love, our faith will not work, because faith works by love (Galatians 5:6). Our prayers will be ineffective because we are harboring wrong attitudes in our heart.
“Well, I would forgive and walk in love, but you just don’t know how badly I’ve been hurt.”
No, I don’t, but Jesus does. Your Bible says that He is touched by the feelings of our infirmities or weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15). No matter how badly you’ve been wronged—no matter what anyone has or has not done—Jesus still loves and cares about you. IF you will focus on what He thinks bout you instead of how wrongly you’ve been treated, you will be on your way to hope, help, and healing.
We all have been hurt by others at some time or another. It doesn’t feel good, but you don’t have to dwell on bad feelings and the wrong actions of others. You can’t control what others say and do, but you can control you! You can decide that you are going to walk in love no matter what, and you can refuse to become negative.
Many don’t realize that holding a grudge against someone else does not hurt that other person as much as it hurts them. If you become bitter and unforgiving, you’re going to become negative in your attitude. You will not only stop the power of God from operating in your life, but you will also give place to the devil. You will allow him to take advantage of you.
Let this be your heartfelt confession: “I choose to stay positive in a negative world. I refuse to allow negative reports to dwell in my mind. I will think on things that are positive—pure, true, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy. I will walk in the light of God’s love and receive and enjoy the blessing of God in my life. Then I will hold hope out to others so that they can receive His blessings.”
