​March 2

Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest [worthy of reverence] … think on these things — Phil. 4:8.
 
Whoever sympathizes with falsehood or exaggeration is more or less defiling himself. Whoever cleanses his thoughts, and avoids exaggeration, etc., is in that degree purifying his mind and his entire character. Nor is it sufficient that we are sure of the truth of matters. We are to test them further, and discern to what extent they are honorable, noble; for, although the Lord has covered the ignoble features of our characters, and proposes to cover them to the end with His own merit, nevertheless we cannot be in sympathy with our fallen condition, but on the contrary must desire true nobility and the highest standards of honor in our hearts, in our thoughts, in all our dealings with our God and with our fellows—Z '03, 9 (R 3129).
 
The true things are the things of God's Plan. The things worthy of reverence are those which are venerable, sacred, holy and which must be considered in order to act reverentially. The Apostle exhorts the Lord's people to meditation on these things because such meditation will impart and develop true wisdom in the heart and mind—the wisdom which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy of entreatment, full of mercy and of good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy—P '33, 45.
 
Parallel passages: Ex. 34:6; Psa. 33:4; 91:4; Prov. 3:3; Isa. 65:16; Dan. 4:37; 10:21; Zech. 8:16; John 8:31, 32; 14:6; 17:17; Eph. 4:25; 2 Tim. 2:15; Lev. 19:35, 36; Deut. 25:13-16; Psa. 24:4; Isa. 33:15, 16; Acts 24:16; 2 Cor. 4:1, 2; 8:21; 1 Thes. 4:11, 12; Heb. 13:18; 1 Pet. 2:12.

Hymns: 22, 49, 296, 130, 136, 145, 315.
Poems of Dawn, 249: Light and Truth.
Tower Reading: Z '11, 183 (R 4838).

Questions: Have I this week meditated on the true and honorable things? How? Why? With what results?

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LIGHT AND TRUTH

THE light is ever silent;
It sparkles on morn's million gems of
dew,
It flings itself into the shower of noon,
It weaves its gold into the cloud of sunset,
Yet not a sound is heard; it dashes full
On yon broad rock, yet not an echo answers;
It lights in myriad drops upon the flower,
Yet not a blossom stirs; it doth not move
The slightest film of floating gossamer,
Which the fain touch of insect's wing would shiver.

The light is ever pure,
No art of man can ever rob it of its beauty,
Nor stain its unpolluted heaven lines.
It is the fairest, purest thing in nature;
Fit type of heavenly truth, which is all pure.

Truth, too, with noiseless grandeur
Upon its heavenly mission goeth forth.
It shines upon a sin-polluted earth
Until its vileness doth so vile appear,
That men despise, then banish it from sight.
It shineth on, till 'neath its rays benign
The buds of heav'nly virtue do appear,
And earth gives promise of a summer time.
And so 'twill ever shine, till fruit and flower
Of virtue, peace and praise bedeck the earth.

Truth, like the light, is pure;
And no device to rob it of its glory,
Or drag it down base purposes to serve,
Can e'er succeed. Ah, no! its heav'nly glory
Shall in due time the universe pervade.

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