Philippians 4:1-23
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Wow... so many great teachings from Paul here today as we close out his letter to the church in Philippi! Paul's letter to the church in Colosse begins in our readings tomorrow! I love Philippians chapter 4 verse 4 today - "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice!" How does this verse speak to you? Are you full of joy in the Lord right now? Are you always full of joy in the Lord? Why or why not? Do you think Paul's teaching here is correct - should we always be full of joy in the Lord? Let us rejoice!
Verses 6 & 7 are so very powerful for each of us to truly learn and put into practice in our lives today! "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Do you worry? Why does Paul tell us not to worry about anything? What did Jesus say to us about worrying in the Sermon on the Mount? What does Paul tell us to do instead of worrying? Pray. This is a powerful powerful thought! Think about this the next time you catch yourself worrying. You know that when you worry you are wasting energy and time. So, why not follow Paul's simple instructions here - when you catch yourself worrying, start praying. Really. Don't give one more minute or one more ounce of your energy to worrying. When you find yourself worrying, get down on your knees and pray! Tell God what you need - AND thank him for all he has done. Sure, it may be tough to thank God at your moment of worrying, but you should do so, in addition to telling him what you need. We should always thank God. And then... here's the beauty.... you will experience God's peace! His peace will guard your heart and mind as you live in Jesus! Let us each stop worrying and start praying! Actually... while I'm already down this path, think about this. Do you think that you spend more time each day worrying or praying? Really, think about this. How many minutes a day would you say that you worry? And how many minutes a day would you say you pray? My hunch is that worrying takes up far more minutes for most of us... Look at how we are wasting precious time on worrying! We don't have that kind of time... Let us pray!
And finally Philippians chapter 4 verses 8 and 9 are so beautiful: "And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you." What type of things do you think about typically? Do you typically think about what is true and honorable and right? Do you often think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable? Do you think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise? Or are you filling your mind with other thoughts? Thoughts that, like worry, are a complete waste of your precious time here on this earth? Will you instead put into practice Paul's teachings - and the teachings you have received this year from the One Year Bible - and allow the peace of God to be with you?
Bible.org's commentary on our readings today in Philippians chapter 4 verses 1 through 9 titled "Stand Fast, Stand Together" is at this link.
Worship Video: Philippians 4:6 reminded me of the song "The Prayer" that has been sung by several artists. I believe Celine Dion wrote the song. Here is a beautiful version of the song by Yolanda Adams and Donnie McClurkin. This song starts off a bit slow, but stick with it. The duet with Yolanda and Donnie by the end is powerful!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddgmktt-GCQ
Have you ever prayed "The Prayer"? Click here and pray!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "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." Philippians 4:8 TNIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you think about that which is true, noble, right, pure, love, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. Pray that you don't think about any thing untrue, ignoble, wrong, polluted, hate, despicable, lazy, or condemnable. Pray in Jesus' name you live out Philippians 4:8 in your life each and every day!
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
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