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Finally brothers (and sisters), whatever is…. Think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

This came yesterday while I was writing GMU but I delayed it until today in my feeble attempt to not make these too long! I think I wrote on it last semester but hey, it’s a great verse and it’s where my “meditations” took me!

Here’s how the whole section goes:

“Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again- REJOICE
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hears and your minds in Christ Jesus.
FINALLY brothers and sisters, whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy- THINK ON THESE THINGS”

First, re-joice: to RE-joice I must have “joiced,” or found joy before in the Lord! Apparently a part of the journey with God is perpetually reminding myself of the “joy” I have found, and hopefully am still finding in Jesus.

Second, Because I believe the Lord IS near, my life will be one of gentleness with everyone I come in contact with because they are ALL His children therefore my spiritual siblings.

Third, “No worries,” is not just a Ausie expression that we’ve adopted, it’s God’s antidote and outcome of praying- WITH THANKSGIVING (see why I keep being thankful more than pleading in my prayer life!?) I can present my request, but they are supposed to be WITH THANKSGIVING!

Fourth, the result of this kind of praying is not so much answers as it is peace. And THAT, my friends, was a HUGE breakthrough in my prayer life when I first saw it. I no longer pray for things, I pray for peace to rule my heart and my life. If God decided to give me “things” that’s fine, but my prayers are for peace, not freedom from war in the world, but freedom from anxiety and worry which can destroy me. A peace-filled heart, rather than an anxiety-ridden heart sets the stage for making better decisions in life.

And my fifth lesson from Philippians today is my life filter: whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things! So whatever is NOT those things… you can probably finish the sentence!

Have a great day discovering JOY and PEACE through God’s word,

Pastor Rich

Quote for the Day: “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill

PS 10 Days of Prayer: at 12 p.m. in the prayer chapel and 7 p.m. in the Heritage Room. Or join us in Campus Ministries @ 1pm for 10 minutes of prayer time.

PPS Power Pac with Chuck Hagele, director of Project Patch. Join us in the church this evening at 7:30 as Chuck unpacks the issues he faces as he deals with kids who have crippled themselves emotionally, spiritually and even physically through the misuse of media. Chuck is a graduate of Union who followed his calling and is making a difference in the lives of others. That’s the dream of Union College for all of its students. Come tonight and see it played out!

PPPS Ladies- TONIGHT- Snacks, Connection and Worship @ 8pm in the Rees Hall Chapel sponsored by your women’s ministry team. It’s just for you so be blessed.