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Part 3: Philippians 4:8b — Lovely, Admirable, Excellent, Praiseworthy
- dktippit3
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Paul doesn’t stop with truth, honor, righteousness, and purity. He expands the list even further in Philippians 4:8b:
“Whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
This isn’t fluff or sentimental advice. Paul is showing us how to redirect our thoughts toward beauty, goodness, and godly admiration. The flesh thrives on ugliness, cynicism, and mediocrity. Sin multiplies when we admire the wrong things.
Addictions are often fueled by counterfeit beauty. Anxiety feeds on imagined failure and worst-case scenarios.
But when we intentionally fill our minds with what is lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy, our hearts begin to desire what is life-giving. What we meditate on shapes what we pursue.
1. Whatever Is Lovely
For me, learning to recognize loveliness was like re-training my vision. Instead of dwelling on everything that was ugly or broken in my past, I began to see God’s grace as beautiful. That shift began to soften the hardness of my heart.
Wrong way to think about loveliness:“I’m surrounded by brokenness, so why even look for beauty? Everything is dark, and there’s no hope.”
Right way to think about loveliness:“God’s beauty still shines in His creation, in His people, and in His grace at work. I will look for His fingerprints even in hard places and fill my mind with reminders of His loveliness.”
2. Whatever Is Admirable
This was big for me. I used to admire people for the wrong reasons—strength without compassion, confidence without humility, success without integrity. It left me imitating values that led me further from Christ. Replacing that with godly admiration reshaped not just who I looked up to, but who I wanted to become.
Wrong way to think about admiration:“The loudest voices and flashiest lifestyles are the ones worth following. If I just imitate success, I’ll be fulfilled.”
Right way to think about admiration:“Not everything that’s popular is worth admiring. I will admire lives of faith, humility, and perseverance—those who model Christlike character even when it costs them.”
3. Whatever Is Excellent
Excellence here isn’t about perfectionism. It’s about refusing to settle for complacency in the Christian life. For me, this meant learning that following Jesus wasn’t about doing the bare minimum, but about striving to love and serve Him with all my mind and heart.
Wrong way to think about excellence:“Good enough is fine. Why give my best when no one else cares? Mediocrity is easier.”
Right way to think about excellence:“God is worthy of my best effort, even in the unseen things. Excellence in obedience, service, and love honors Him. I will strive for wholeheartedness, not half-heartedness.”
4. Whatever Is Praiseworthy
This changed the way I viewed even my quiet disciplines. When I thought only in terms of what others noticed, I was disappointed and resentful. But when I started asking, “Would this draw God’s praise?” I found new motivation to live faithfully, even if no one else clapped.
Wrong way to think about praise:“If no one notices, it doesn’t matter. What’s praiseworthy is what gets attention, applause, or likes.”
Right way to think about praise:“God defines what is praiseworthy. Acts of hidden faithfulness, small sacrifices, and unseen obedience matter to Him. I will set my mind on what brings praise in heaven, not just on earth.”
Filling the Heart by Filling the Mind
Paul’s wisdom here is simple yet profound: what you admire, you imitate; what you meditate on, you desire. A fleshly mindset looks at the ugly, cynical, or shallow things of the world and lets them take root. But the Spirit-filled mindset actively seeks out what is lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy, allowing these thoughts to saturate the mind and shape the heart.
In my own story, this was a breakthrough. It wasn’t enough to stop feeding my mind toxic things—I had to intentionally seek out beauty, goodness, and examples worth following. Over time, these thoughts reshaped what I wanted, not just what I avoided.
Conclusion: The Third Layer of Renewal
By this point in Philippians 4, Paul has laid out a complete strategy:
Verses 4–7: Guard the mind and heart with peace.
Verses 8a: Fill the mind with truth, honor, justice, and purity.
Verses 8b: Expand the filling with loveliness, admiration, excellence, and praise.
The mind is never neutral—it will always feed the heart with something. If it feeds the flesh, it produces destruction. If it feeds the Spirit, it produces life. If it feeds the flesh, it starves the Spirit. If it feeds the Spirit, it starves the flesh.
When our minds are trained to dwell on what is lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy, our hearts follow—and the life of Christ becomes not only possible but desirable.
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