PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 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.9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:4-9 WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT?
Springford Baptist Church: November 14, 2021.
What we think about influences who we are and what we say and do!
What we think about matters!
Sometimes we would be happy to share what we are thinking about. Other times our thoughts are not God pleasing and uplifting and we would be ashamed to admit what we are thinking.
The story is told of a learned professor who went to visit an old monk who was famous for his wisdom. The monk graciously welcomed him and offered him a seat on a cushion. No sooner had the professor sat down than he launched into a long, wordy account of his own accomplishments, his own knowledge, his own theories and opinions. The monk listened quietly for awhile and then asked politely, “Would you like some tea?”
The professor nodded, smiled and kept right on talking. The monk handed him a teacup and began pouring tea from a large pot. The tea rose to the brim of the cup, but the monk kept right on pouring while the professor kept right on talking. Finally, the professor noticed what was going on, leaped to his feet and demanded, “What are you doing? Can’t you see that the cup is overflowing?” To which the monk replied, “This cup is like your mind. It can’t take in anything new because it’s already full.”
WHAT DO WE THINK ABOUT? With what do we fill our minds?
Listen to this same Scripture from Philippians 4 in the Message Translation:
4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in Him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into His most excellent harmonies.
The essence of what Paul is urging here is to think about God. In every instance what is being described here is God and the character of God: true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy. (vs. 9)
I recall a time when my husband Bob and I were pastoring on the Eastern shore of Nova Scotia. We went on a bus with our Youth Group to a youth event in Moncton, New Brunswick. We were kept bust ensuring that the youth stayed together and were attending the various workshops and activities. Many details of that weekend have not stayed in my mind, but something one of the speakers said has stayed in my mind: “THINK ABOUT GOD”! That is great advice for teenagers. That is great advice for people of any age.
Paul recognized that if the people to whom he was writing focused their minds on God and the things of God then they would be where they needed to be and they would stay where they needed to be.
As we move our way through this Scripture passage, we encounter the urging to, “Rejoice in the Lord always”! (vs. 4a) The fact that Paul repeats this emphasizes its importance. “I will say it again: “Rejoice”! What are we thinking about when we are rejoicing in the Lord? We are thinking about whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—anything that is excellent or praiseworthy— (vs 8)
When we are filling our minds with Who God is and how God is then we will find ourselves rejoicing and thanking Him. We will not be leaving room in our thoughts for unloving criticism or impatient cynicism and judgment. Our thoughts will instead be elevated to focus on our amazing God. We will find ourselves thinking about God and His plans and purposes.
We all know what it is to be anxious and to worry. Verse 6 of Philippians 4 instructs, “Do not be anxious about anything.”
Why? Why is it vitally necessary to confront our anxious thoughts? Because when our minds are crowded with anxiety, we are leaving no room for God. Our loving and merciful God is willing to fill our minds and to still our anxious thoughts that threaten to take over.
Paul prescribes an effective remedy for anxious thoughts filling our minds and that is prayer. “… but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6b)
Thinking about God and turning every anxious thought over to Him invites the peace which only God can give to fill our minds. If our minds are filled with God’s peace then we will be attentive to, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—whatever is excellent or praiseworthy (vs.8)
When we do experience the miracle of God’s peace replacing our anxious thoughts and fears, we want to hold on to that. We long for that to continue. Here is good news. This is possible! It won’t be through our determined or even desperate efforts. The peace of God will reside permanently in our minds when as verse 7 promises, “the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Jesus knows how to guard and to secure our emotions and our thoughts in Him and to establish firmly the peace that only God can give. This is a peace that is unexpected and beyond what we would ever expect with the limited capacity of our human minds.
We return to this question, “WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT”? What were your first thoughts when you wakened this morning? What did you think about as you were having breakfast and beginning your day? What will you be thinking about as the gift of today unfolds?
There will always be unwanted thoughts threatening to push their way into our minds. These unwanted thoughts do not build us up in our faith. Instead, they threaten to tear us down.
If through prayer, we are filling our minds with God and the things of God, then we are declaring that there is no room in our minds for the selfish, negative, and harmful thoughts that would insist on taking over.
If we are day by day deciding to think about God and trusting God to provide His peace to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, then He will!