Perhaps the most powerful tool at our disposal is our attention.  In a world where so much is going on around us and there are so many people and programs trying to gain our attention, the way we direct it becomes very important.   There appear to be two primary problems with attention that most people battle with.  First we have trouble focusing our attention on anything because we are so frayed and distracted.  Secondly we allow our attention to be captured far more than we actually direct it.

Paul was instructing his readers in the book of Philippians regarding the use of their minds.  He did not try to tell them what to think but he listed a series of characteristics that should fit the things they chose to focus their minds upon.  He said whatever things are true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and worthy of praise should be the direction of their thoughts.  Paul clearly emphasized two things in his admonition.  One, he pointed out that the focus of our minds should be our choice and not externally directed by others.  Secondly, he taught that it was important to filter the potential objects of our thought processes and choose those that are worthy.  Let's think about these two important points.

The focus of our minds should be based on our choice.  Doesn't it make sense here that Paul assumes his readers understand that they have choices about the direction of their thoughts.  When he says think about these kinds of things he is saying they should not think about things that don't meet these standards.  People often live their lives under the assumption that whatever comes into their minds must be given control of their thinking.  We would all be highly offended if our government passed a law that said we had to watch any television that was on in our presence.  In other words if you went into a room and a TV was on you had to watch it until you left that room.  We would see that as a form of control that was unhealthy and manipulative but we treat our feelings and our emotions with that kind of authority.  We often allow whatever feeling or mood or emotional impulse that our body chemistry may generate to take over our thinking.

Paul is suggesting that there are many thoughts and thought processes that I could give my mind to that would be totally unworthy of so large a portion of my life.  Things that don't have the qualities he suggests cannot provide benefit and productivity.  Some thinking leads to greater destruction and a loss of opportunity to use our minds in ways that would actually do some good.  There is not much argument that if we regularly give our minds to some subject matter it leads to destruction.  People who look at pornography on a regular basis are unquestionably affected by it.  It is not their choice about whether they are affected.  The only choice they have is the degree to which they will invest their mental energy.  They have no choice about the degree or the certainty of its results.

This teaching by Paul gives us a new way to think about our minds.  Instead of allowing our minds to simply be filled or occupied we should consider choosing our mental attentions.  We have a God given capacity to monitor and evaluate even the subjects of our thought.  We can use our capacity for attention and its directions to change the makeup of our mental world.  A person whose outlook is bleak and depressed has some options for the moment and the future.  For the moment we can prevent our emotional condition from directing our thinking by choosing the focus of our minds for the next few moments our even hours.  This is not mind control or avoidance but a healthy use of our minds.  We know there are things that can absorb our minds with no benefit and there are other things that become like nutritional food for our minds.  Paul says things that are true and have some purity about them and are worthy of praise as subjects of thought can lift up our lives.

Lets think for a moment about focus in general.  Spending our lives in a perpetual state of distraction leads to a failure to use one of our greatest gifts.  It is a little like an athlete who had world class ability but who spent so long trying to figure out which team to play for that he no longer had any special ability.  When we are spread all over our world we become so thin that we are transparent.  It is not just your attention that matters but your focused attention.  Time with our children or grandchildren is not effective unless we can get more than our bodies in their presence.  Our attention can float anywhere between the power of a pen light to the power of a laser.  A real conversation is never just words exchanged but when our full attention is given to the person at hand.

It is certain that Paul had in mind the things of God as the subject matter for the minds of his readers.  Often we do something we call praying or meditation on God that can only be described as lip service.  The ability to get all our attention focused on God and His love and His genuine desire for our well being is the most important task of our day.  One minute of focused attention upon God and His things is worth multiplied hours of feigned attention.  A preacher or teacher can have no higher pursuit than to get the full attention of their listeners turned to God.

Growth and progress do not consist of wishing for a better future for ourselves or others.  Growth consists of getting our minds churning on things that have power in them.  The Word of God is powerful.  It has powers of instruction, guidance, correction and healthy teaching.  It serves as a mirror for the soul to reveal us to ourselves.

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.