The mind is formed by what it takes in.  Will Durant

If anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

I love egg roti prata, a popular pancake in my country of Singapore. So I was intrigued to read that a 125-pound (57 kg) person must run 5 miles (8 km) per hour for 30 minutes to burn 240 calories. That’s equivalent to only one egg roti prata.

Ever since I started working out in the gym, those numbers have taken on a new significance for me. I find myself asking: Is this food worth the calories?

While it is wise to watch our food consumption, it is even more important to watch our media consumption. Research shows that what we see can stay in our minds for a long time and influence our behavior. It has a “clingy effect,” sticking to us like that stubborn fat we find so hard to lose.

With the wide variety of media content surrounding us today, we need to be discerning consumers. That doesn’t mean we read only Christian literature or watch only faith-related movies, but we are careful about what we allow our eyes to see. We might ask ourselves: Is this worth my time?

In Philippians 4:8, the apostle Paul tells us in essence, “Feed your eyes and minds on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy.” This is a “diet” worthy of what Christ has done and is doing in us.

Are my viewing habits enhancing my life or are they drawing me away from things that really matter? Help me, Lord, to make wise choices.

 我们接收的资讯影响我们的心智。

若有什么德行，若有什么称赞，这些事你们都要思念。-腓立比书4章8节

我超爱吃印度煎饼，这是新加坡很受欢迎的小吃。但是一块印度煎饼的热量，却可高达240卡路里。当我知道体重57公斤的人，必须以每小时8公里的速度跑30分钟，才能燃烧240卡路里，让我有点吃惊。

自从我开始去健身房运动后，热量对我来说有新的意义。我开始问自己：这个食物值得我摄取这么多热量吗？

监控食物的摄取量固然明智，但留意我们所吸收的媒体资讯却更加重要。研究显示，我们的所见所闻会留在脑海里一段很长的时间，影响我们的行为。这些讯息有一种“依附作用”，就像身上顽固的脂肪一样难以甩掉。

如今，每天都有各式各样的媒体讯息环绕着我们，我们必须成为明智的使用者。但这并不表示我们只能阅读基督教文学，或只能观看与信仰有关的电影，但我们要谨慎过滤什么该看，什么不该看。我们可以问问自己：这值得我花时间看吗？

在腓立比书4章8节，使徒保罗说出了这个概念的精髓，我们可解读为：“你们所看的，所听的，所想的，应该是真实的、可敬的、公义的、清洁的、可爱的、有美名的。”这样的“饮食”习惯是值得的，因这与我们所蒙的恩相称。

我接收媒体资讯的习惯是促进生命成长，
还是使我远离真正重要的事情？
主，求祢帮助我做明智的决定。

Philippians 4:4-9

Final Exhortations

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. 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.

整理：于姊妹