What(so)ever
##396 What(so)ever
Right now, you are feeling what you thought earlier. You believe what you think. This year, you’ll create the reality you’ve imagined.
Your thoughts are powerful stuff.
We are in the first beautiful hours of a new year. You have many options for what to think. What comes to mind when you consider your worship team’s past, present, and future? What thoughts do you have? Literally. Can you step back and describe them?
Doing this is crucial because your thoughts create your feelings; they influence your actions and shape your vision and future. They are THAT influential.
Simple, little, seemingly innocuous thoughts. Wielding great power.
There’s a challenging list of what we must think about. It’s a syllabus for 2024. These are your subjects, your coursework, your assignments. Ready? Think about this:
True, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.
Or in The Passion Translation, “authentic, real, honorable, admirable, beautiful, respectful, pure, holy, merciful, and kind.”
Let me unpack each word, as listed in the online Merriam-Webster dictionary (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary).
True: being in accordance with the actual state of affairs
Noble: possessing outstanding qualities
Right: being in accordance with what is just, good, or proper
Lovely: delightful for beauty, harmony, or grace
Admirable: deserving the highest esteem
Excellent: very good of its kind
Praiseworthy: laudable
We need the Holy Spirit of God to renew our minds, our thinking. We need Him to shape, purify, and direct our thoughts. Ask Him for the help you require.
The KJV of Philippians 4:8 begins with the word “whatsoever.” Saying whatsoever is like saying whatever, but with more emphasis. More boom! We need more boom, don’t we?
We can be tempted to look at a new year and be without hope and respond by letting things slide.
But don’t give up. Keep strong. Stand firm. Aim for the best. Think the best. Think the excellent, the praiseworthy, the admirable, the lovely, the right, the noble, the true. Fill your thoughts with these things. All year, but especially now.
And be amazed by what God births through you.What(so)ever
-Dave Helmuth
(purchase my book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)
What(so)ever (Nº 396)
