Our thought life is much more important than we sometimes realise.
What goes through our minds influences our actions and our behaviour.
What we believe determines our conduct in positive and negative ways.
Imagine if these principles were applied not only to our personal lives but to the lives of the leaders of the nations in which we live.
Are these not principles for leaders to assimilate and thereby exercise strong positive caring compassionate and concerned leadership.
Do some of these adjectives ever enter the minds of some in positions of authority in our governments and councils and cabinets? Paul was one of my leader heroes.
I have been reading and studying what he writes in his letter to the Church of Jesus Christ at Philippi and he gives these most encouraging and illuminating words in Chapter four as he tells these believers what they ought to think about and these would benefit any man or family or society or nation.
Paul enjoins us to have true thoughts and by this he means real thoughts.
We are to live in the real world and not in some fantasy world of our dreams.
When I have been in Uganda and Kenya my heart and mind can be shaken by the true reality of the hardships facing these my brothers and sisters.
Life out there in the bush allows little time for hallucinations.
Life is too harsh and demanding, and yet there is a joyous side to it all too, and especially to those who are in Christ Jesus.
When Paul writes about having noble thoughts he is reminding us in a sense of who we are.
We are children of the King, Jesus Christ.
This involves having a dignity and integrity as we live our lives, and especially when we come before Almighty God in prayer.
Did we ever see Jesus Christ acting undignified or behaving in a way as to raise questions about His integrity? We are to seek to have right thoughts or righteous thoughts which lead to acts and action.
As we think properly so we will be able to serve unselfishly those around us who are poor and in need and it will involve sacrifice and sacrifice that is on-going.
Do you think our bankers and financiers who accept and receive these monstrous bonuses know anything about these characteristics and qualities from the Word of God? Paul flows on progressively to speak about having pure thoughts where he means that our hearts and minds are undefiled or chaste.
There is a morality described here which has almost disappeared.
We are to be pure in the sight of God as well as seeking to appear pure and good and respectable in the eyes of mere men.
This word lovely challenges us to have thoughts which are pleasing and attractive and that may mean we have to be very careful at times as to what we say, lest we be discovered to be hypocritical.
Think on these things and whatever is to be admired even dwell on that.
He calls us to consider what is excellent and praiseworthy.
Do take time to read what he actually says, because this becomes part of the Word of God and when a person reads and studies the Word of God there is inevitably a rich blessing and reward from on high.
All over Scotland just now there are many praying for leaders to be raised up who will lead and exercise authority and judgment according to the truths of the Word of God, and these are Scriptures which are well worth emulating.
In fact, no leader could find a better set of principles anywhere.
Sandy Shaw