"Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and
petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And
the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7
"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
commendable - if there is any moral excellence and if there is any
praise - dwell on these things."
Philippians 4:8
"...In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of
being content - whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in
need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me."
Philippians 4: 12-13
Wow, I really do love chapter 4 of Philippians. There is so much good here. So much for us to cling to, so much to learn from.
We really do worry a lot, but it is clearly stated in God's word...do not worry about anything!
Instead of worrying, we should always let God know what is on our
hearts, talk to Him, and trust Him. His peace will guard our hearts and
minds.
Then, there is the reminder to dwell on the good things, and not the
bad. If it is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, or
commendable...dwell on that! Moral excellence and praise, that should be
a wake up call. So much of our world today does not fall into the "if
there is any moral excellence" category. Much of our world today is far
from it. Let's think for a moment about the word "dwell". What does the
regular old dictionary have to say about that word?
Dwell - to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought, speech, or writing
Hmm,
linger over... Do we linger over the things in life that true, the
things that are pure, and the things with moral excellence, or do we
simply let them pass by and go on to what has become normalcy, what has
become acceptable, even some of it in christian circles. Why do we let
sin creep its way in and think that it is okay? Sex before marriage, not
okay. Getting drunk, not okay. Dressing immodestly, not okay!
Disrespecting elders, not okay. Cheating, lying, gossiping, making fun
of others, NOT OKAY!
Another
thing that isn't okay... our complaining. Why have we not learned by
now that complaining gets us nowhere. Complaining pushes us farther away
from God, and nobody wants to be around a complainer.. but for some
reason everyone wants to be the complainer? The children of Israel were
not allowed into the promised land because of their disobedience to God.
When you look at their attitudes, they were always complaining! We need
to focus on learning to be content in all situations with the strength
of Christ.
