Phil 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Phil 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.
Philippians 4:8-9
Well, I have made it to the Philippians 4:8-9 fourth “whatever”: whatever is pure. When I looked up the word “pure” in my concordance I found that the NIV translates words to a form of “pure” 109 times. Different translations of Philippians 4:8-9 almost all translate the Greek word ἁγνά (hagna) as pure. The English definition of pure I found describes it as an adjective that is used to denote things that are not mixed with anything else or are free from anything that weakens or pollutes it. It was also interesting to be reminded that pure may be associated with chastity.
While I was trolling the internet and looking for examples of pure, I came across this poem by S. Jennie Leach that was published in the The Ladies’ Repository in 1867. I figure the ravages of the Civil War were probably still being felt by both sides, so an exercise in focusing on the whatevers, especially whatever was pure, was needed. Ms. Leach seems to capture some visions of it here with her words.
“The Things That Are Pure”
By S. Jennie Leach
Lilies white that gem the vale;
Crystal dew-drops nights exhale;
Penciled moonbeams’ silvery sheen;
Night’s deep blue, when stars are seen;
Snow-wreaths twined o’er loved ones’ graves;
Pearls that sleep beneath the waves.
Angel-guarded infant sleep;
Pledge of love which true hearts keep;
Silvered locks of righteous age;
Beams of truth from sacred page;
Hearts in Jesus’ blood made white;
Death-damp brows’ encircling light.
Pearly gates and walls of light;
Streets of gold and robes of white;
River of life flowing free;
Great white throne and crystal sea;
Harps of gold and blood-washed throng;
Jesus, theme of every song.
So, what was Paul getting at when he told the Philippians to think about whatever is pure? It may be toward the end of the month (alright, it is the end of the month), but I have been thinking on this whatever the whole month, including during Easter. My salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus was possible because of His ultimate purity. The fact that he was tempted in all things as we are and remained pure and sinless makes it all the more amazing. How can I ever expect to measure up to that?
The thing is, I don’t think Paul is expecting me to measure up to it on my own. He just figures that my focus needs to be there: on whatever is pure. Besides, because of Jesus’ incredible sacrifice, that measure of grace has already been granted. Perhaps during this 40 days after Easter when Jesus was appearing to folks after His resurrection is an opportune time for me to focus on His pure love as well as look for pure moments in those around me, like honesty without the need for sugarcoating it, or words of encouragement, or pure positive motives regardless of outcomes.
Here's to being thankful for a month of focusing on whatever is pure……
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