When I first started to take a look at the word “noble” in terms of our challenge, I was a bit perplexed. The word for me conjures up images of nobility or royalty which, while interesting to think about, isn’t terribly helpful when it comes to healing our thoughts. So I dug a little deeper.
“Noble” in Philippians 4:8 derives from the Greek word “semnos”, which translates as “august, venerable, honorable”. Digging a little deeper revealed that “semnos” means something that is high-minded and implies a “loftiness of character or spirit”, and the context as it’s used within this verse actually implies the Word of God.1
And the light bulb went off. We should be thinking about “lofty” (or “high”) things. What could be “loftier” than God Himself and His Word?
Colossians 3:1-2 tells us, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set you hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (NIV)
How can we set our minds on such things? We need to spend time each day reading and memorizing God’s Word. There is no better way to renew our minds than to feed them with thoughts directly from God Himself. David talks often in the Psalms about meditating on God’s Word, how much he loved it, and how it brought Him comfort (all verses NLT):
“I honor and love your commands. I meditate on your decrees.” Psalm 119:48
“I meditate on your age-old regulations; O Lord, they comfort me.” Psalm 119:52
“But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.” Psalm 1:2
I recently rediscovered the joy of memorizing God’s Word, specifically as it pertains to dealing with my anxiety. I hadn’t fully anticipated or appreciated the calming effect of what was, essentially, a meditation practice. But this type of meditation is quite different than the kind we typically hear about—instead of emptying my mind of all thoughts, I was filling it with scripture as I repeated it over and over to myself until I had it memorized. As I consciously focused my thoughts on God’s Word, it calmed my mind and spirit. When I finished, I had stored up a new scripture in my heart, and I felt more peaceful. It’s a double win!
There are, of course, other practical applications to this. The scriptures have all kinds of instructions for the issues we face in our everyday lives. This can bring additional benefit when we encounter difficult situations and are able to pull from memorized scripture to help deal with them.
My challenge for you this week is to choose at least one new scripture to memorize. Spend time each day meditating on it and committing it to memory. Observe the impact this practice has on your overall thoughts and attitudes. I hope you’re as encouraged by what you see as I have been!
1https://www.wenstrom.org/downloads/written/word_studies/greek/semnos.pdf