Toward the end of his epistle to the church at Philippi, Paul lists eight qualities or virtues that believers should “dwell on,” or ponder; namely, whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and worthy of praise (see Phil. 4:8). Seven of the qualities we might come up with given enough time to make a list. But one may be a little surprising, and men, in particular, might feel almost a little squeamish about it. Which one? “Whatever is lovely.” The word appears only here in the New Testament, so we have no opportunity to make a comparison of its usage in other inspired contexts. But lovely must be a good translation of the Greek because thirteen of the fourteen translations consulted chose that word. (The outlier translated the word as amiable.) The Greek word is defined variously as “acceptable, pleasing” and “lovable, gracious.” Although we might be inclined to think of the view of a placid lake, the aroma of a rose, or a skillfully knitted blanket as lovely, we know from the other words in the list that Paul has in mind that which is spiritually lovely. And since he instructs us to think on those things, we would do well to consider what God would put before us under the category of loveliness. Below are some possibilities.

            The Person and Attributes of God are lovely. There is no better place to start than to meditate on who and what God is. He embodies all that is holy and good. All that He does is right and perfect. He makes no mistakes. His judgments are right, His justice perfect. He never fails.

            The Work of Christ is lovely. The collective conclusions of the greatest minds of all time could never have devised the plan of redemption: the Son of God taking on human flesh in order to die and satisfy the holy and just demands of God so that He might be at one and the same time “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom 3:26).

            The Ministry of the Holy Spirit is lovely. That the Third Person of the Trinity would condescend to dwell in the hearts of redeemed men is beyond comprehension. That He would be pleased to exalt Christ rather than Himself, that He would make Himself a constant Helper to believers is unfathomable.

            The Word of God is lovely. A book containing the very words of God delivered in a way that frail humans can comprehend is marvelous. That it reveals to believers “everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Pet. 1:3) defies imagination. We need not guess what pleases God, what He expects of believers, or what He has in store for those who love Him. That it abounds with unbreakable promises for the believer is beyond lovely.

            The Biblical Biographies of believers are lovely. The recorded lives of Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Elijah, Elisha, Ruth, David, Josiah, Esther, Peter, John, Paul, Mary of Bethany and a host of others give believers examples that exhort and encourage us, reminding us that all believers have trials but that we may be overcomers in them. That all believers have the privilege of serving, and in so doing God is honored and we are blessed is lovely.

            The Gifts of God are lovely. From the gift of deliverance from sin to the indwelling Spirit, from the gifts of love, joy, and peace to the natural gifts that enable us to live, and even thrive, in this life, from the gifts that allow us to minister and serve to the unimaginable gifts that await us in eternity, believers are rich beyond full comprehension.             Perhaps you can think of a longer and better list of lovely things to dwell on. One thing is certain: eternity will not exhaust the loveliness of all that God is and all that He has done. We would honor Him and bless ourselves if we would devote more time and energy to the endeavor He exhorts us to pursue now.