Philippians 4:8, “And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”
Paul wrote Philippians from prison, and joy was his dominant theme throughout all of Philippians, despite his unjust circumstances and environment. He did not have an easy life. Paul lived most of his life in physical pain and mortal danger (2 Cor. 11:25-27) and suffered from some physical ailment that he called “a thorn in the flesh.” So how did he do it – maintain a continual state of joy?
Paul had just reminded the church in Philippi, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! Philippians 4:4. He said that twice! Then he taught them not to worry about anything. “Instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7. Can you imagine not worrying about anything? Instead, Paul instructs us to have a consistent, relentless, passionate prayer life, which will be rewarded; by maintaining a continual prayer life and reading God’s Word, we will be given the right attitudes and experience a supernatural joy that the unsaved can see. Then thank Him for all He has given you, done for you, and kept you from. Be specific and have confidence in God’s concern for you and His abundant resources and power to meet your needs.
“No Christian can afford to waste mind power on thoughts that tear him down or that would tear others down if these thoughts were shared . . . The Christian who fills his heart and mind with God’s Word will have a built-in “radar” for detecting wrong thoughts. “Great peace have they which love thy law” (Ps. 119:165). Right thinking is the result of daily meditation on the Word of God.” Warren Wiersbe, Be Joyful Even When Things Go Wrong. You Can Have Joy. Page 135-136.
Paul taught by example, because he learned to be joyful despite his circumstances, to utilize the enabling power of Christ, and to be content, even when he felt like complaining: “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned to be content with whatever I have.” Philippians 4:11. Paul wrote this at the end of his life, when he was in prison, so that tells us it didn’t happen overnight. It was a process for Paul – learning contentment. Paul remembered that Christ still reigns, He loves and knows us, confidence in the fact that God is sovereign, and therefore we can rejoice at all times, which gives us peace and strength. I so look up to Paul, who did not allow his outward circumstances to dictate his inner attitudes. I fail at that so often! Dear reader, may we both be content with whatever God chooses to use our lives for, in whatever comes our way. Nothing is by accident, as God is our shield (55 verses in the Old Testament use the word “shield”). “For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory.” Psalm 84:11.
May you be encouraged, and may the God of peace go with you today as you fix your thoughts on Christ and all He has done for you, and not feel anxious, but feel gratitude and contentment, having the internal peace in honoring Christ and who He is in your life, because God is supplying all of your needs one day at a time. It will take time, as it did for Paul, but notice your thoughts moving to right and correct thinking (Rom. 12:1-2) biblically, giving God all your mind, heart, and soul each and every morning. Then the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:9b) instead of worrying, having resentment, etc. This is a daily effort which should never stop moving to right thinking.
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