Philippians 4:1-9

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v4)

  • Paul tells us to always be rejoicing in the Lord
  • Do I find joy in Christ and the God I serve - or do I find following him just a chore?
v6-7)
  • In every situation, present my requests to God (through prayer)
  • Paul tells us not to be anxious about anything
  • Thanksgiving is an element of prayer
  • God will not necessarily give us what we pray for exactly, but he does promise us peace
    • A peace which transcends all understanding
v8)
  • Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable - we should keep our minds focused on these things
  • We will only discover what fits these descriptions when we discover and delve into his Word
v9)
  • The God of peace will be with us when we put these things that we've learned or received or heard into practice
  • It reinforces the idea that we don't need to just learn and become smarter Christians - no, but we need to actively live out what we learn and are convicted of
Prayer:
  1. Through any struggle that I might come to Christ whole heartedly and genuinely and present any worry in my heart to Him. That I would trust in the promise that He is with me and that his peace will transcend all my understanding
  2. That I wouldn't just become a smarter sinner by simply gaining more theology. Instead that I would apply the knowledge that God has allowed me to gain - and this would transform my heart to live according to the will of God and his Word.

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