An End to Negativism

4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

This verse helps me to see that there is something very wrong in my heart. You see (and I’m embarrassed to say this), I enjoy being critical. I enjoy noticing and pointing out what is wrong and false and impure and worthy of insult. This comes naturally to me. Giving praise is something I have to work on. This is different than enjoying the sin. It is enjoying being right (and others being wrong).

Take marriage for example. My wife has many outstanding characteristics, as those of you who know her know well. I know this. I see her good qualities. But, to be honest, I don’t naturally react to her strong points with the same intensity as I do to her weak points. I am much more likely to notice the thing she did wrong and miss the things she did right than vice versa. And I tend to get more emotionally gripped by the negative things than by all the positive things.

I have also realized that at least part of the reason I enjoy being critical is because it makes me look better in contrast to the criticizee.

So, this verse slaps me in the face. God wants me to dwell on the things that are excellent and worthy of praise. The way I am is not the way God wants me to be.

This verse doesn’t mean that God wants us to blindly ignore all that is wrong with other people and their ideas. But we certainly should not enjoy noticing all that is wrong. And we shouldn’t dwell on these things. We need to take note of evil, learn lessons from it, deal with it, etc. But if we truly love good, in our minds we will gravitate toward the good.

I know that my pride leads me to want to show how I am right and others are wrong. And this is so similar to taking a righteous stand for truth against error, that I can rationalize by thinking and claiming I am not acting out of pride, but out of a concern for truth. But very subtly I am hiding behind the truth, using it to make me look better.

(Some of man’s worst behavior is blamed on God: murder, hatred, adultery, lying, stealing, disobeying authority, etc. But we all do it, don’t we? It’s actually a favorite method of self-justification. I hope that you will humbly ask God to help you to see how you do it if you don’t already.)

I hope you are not a negative person like I am. But if you are, use your well-honed analytical and critical abilities upon yourself, as I am trying to do. Remember, forgiveness and refreshment come from repentance, which must include recognition and confession of sin.

Father, forgive me for my sin of negativism. Forgive me for my critical spirit. Forgive me for how I have failed to celebrate what is good and worthy of praise. Please teach me to wake up each morning and remember how full my life is because of Christ. Help me live as one who, on account of Christ, possesses all things. Certainly good news merits joy and gratitude. And the good news of Christ merits it supremely. Help me to break free from my preoccupation with bad news and live according to the glorious good news of Your beloved Son.