Meditate on These Things: Philippians 4

Scripture: Philippians 4

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things."
~Philippians 4:8

I absolutely love the book of Philippians. Paul loves these people dearly, and the whole book is encouraging them and uplifting them. They have partnered with him in ministry, and they have given to meet his needs. They aren't perfect, but they love God, and they are His servants. In chapter 4, Paul talks a lot about refocusing the mind:

Help Euodia and Syntyche be of one MIND (help them resolve their issues)

Rejoice in the Lord always (telling your MIND to praise in good times and in hard times)

Don't worry about anything, but let God know what you need, and He will give you His peace to guard your heart and MIND

Meditate (or let your MIND focus on for an extended period) on good things (true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy)

Be content in whatever situations you find yourself- poverty or prosperity (reMIND yourself that God provides your needs)

Through Christ, we can do anything (His MIND over our matter)

Have you ever had one of those days where everything is seeming to collapse around you? You wake up as tired as when you went to bed, your work is bleeding every ounce of life from your body, your paycheck barely covers the rent, and you are down to your last can of WhoHash? For me, that has been it lately. Ok, maybe not the last can of WhoHash, but where you look at things and just feel like you don't know how this is all going to work out. I have had friends lately that I felt like we were once close, but now we seem to be pulled apart. It's not easy to rejoice in the Lord when you feel like you are stomped into the ground. It's not easy to push out those thoughts of people hurting you, or how much you are tired of your job, or the worries of will you be able to pay the bills or not. Are you there? Are you looking out at life and getting this sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach? Are your relationships with people strained (even your church family)? Are the worries of life grabbing you around the ankles and holding a death grip? That is when refocusing our mind is most important. Go to the person you were hurt by. Talk to them openly and honestly about your injuries. Be prepared that you might not be the only one of the two that has been hurt. Rejoice in the Lord even when times are tough (more so then!!), because God uses those times to build character in our lives. No, the building process is not painless (hammer-strike to the thumb, anyone?), but it is important. Don't spend your time worrying about things, but spend time giving your worries and cares to God, Who will take care of you and give you His peace. Trust me, His peace makes no sense sometimes. You feel peace in a sea of sharks, or hanging precariously above sharp objects. It's peace when everything around you should be freaking you out. Jesus talked about how the cares of this world can choke off the seed of God's good news (Matthew 13:22), so by giving all the cares of our world to Him, we become a weedless soil (which, as any botanical-types will tell you, is a good thing), and fertile for producing good things. Once you give God your junk, then you turn your mind off of those things, and focus it on good things. When I was a kid, I did this Peer Helpers thing. It's basically a training program to help kids learn how to mediate situations between other kids. One of the demonstrations was a person stood up by one of the adult leaders. They were told to find something they hated- math, as I recall. They repeated "I hate math" while they held their arm out to their side. The adult would have no problem pushing the arm down to their side. Then they were told to say "I love math" and try again. They could hold their ground this time. Ah, the power of positive thinking, and yet it was thought of and encouraged at least 2000 years ago, when God spoke through Paul to the suffering Philippians. Don't look at the junk you gave to God, but have the mindset of an overcomer. Remember that it's not about what you are capable of in and of yourself, but what God is capable of through you. When you have trained your mind to think on the good things God is doing, giving all your troubles to Him, and being covered with His peace, you can be content wherever you are, and God can use you to do extraordinary things because you know that He can do anything. Be encouraged today, my friend. We serve a big God. Let Him take your life and use it how He will.

Lord, help me to give the cares of this world to you. Help me to praise You in everything, and to refocus my mind on the amazing and wonderful things You have given me. Amen.