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. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.     Philippians 4:8-9 NKJV

When you study Scripture it’s important to look at the context in which it is written. In this letter to the Philippians, Paul is encouraging them to have peace in their lives. He is explaining to them how to do this. In verse 4 he tells them to rejoice in the Lord always. He doesn’t say when everything is going our way to rejoice, but to rejoice always in all circumstances. Then he tells them to let their gentleness be known to all men. I find this to be a tough one because we are taught to be tough. We see gentleness as weakness. But I have learned that it takes much more strength to be gentle and kind than it does to be mean and hateful.

Then Paul tells the Philippians not to worry but to go to God in prayer about everything. He tells them to ask God what they need and to always be thankful. He tells them if they do this the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard their hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. Oh, how we need our hearts and minds guarded in these troubled times.

Our Scripture passage for today is Paul’s instructions on how to accomplish these things. He tells them that they can accomplish these things by focusing on what is good. He tells them to focus on what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, has virtue and is praiseworthy. Does that sound familiar? It sounds like a good description of God to me. God is all these things. God gives us all these things, but we must focus on Him. If you read that list again, this old world falls short. There are few things in this world that meet those criteria. But praise God he checks off every single item on that list.

My friend, there is a lot of evil in the world today. But we are not to worry about it. We are not to focus on it. Why?  Because we are to focus on what is good. Romans 12:21 tells us not to be overcome by evil, but to conquer evil with good.

The devil throws lots of distractions in our way, but we must focus. We must meditate and set our minds on what is good. Don’t be distracted by the evil that is all around you but focus on the good. When we do this, we can be the light that leads others to Christ. Others will see the peace of God in us and they will want some of that.

Have a great day!