Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable-if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise-dwell on these things. Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.  Philippians 4:8-9 HCSB

After working 25 years in law enforcement, I have had enough drama to last me a lifetime.  In probation and parole I sometimes felt as though I lived with some of my offenders. You spend time in their homes, you have to know all there is to know about them, you meet  the families, you drug screen them, you talk to their employers and to their counselors. And sadly, you are often pulled into their drama. Many of them didn’t have the peace and joy that only God can give, so unfortunately they had the opposite which is drama, lots and lots of drama. As a result of this, I stay as far from drama as I possibly can.

If you don’t have God you have confusion and chaos.  See we were made to live in fellowship with God.  This is why we were created. When we don’t do this, it creates confusion which leads to chaos which leads to drama.

So, how do you live a life without drama? Well, I’m glad you asked because our scripture passage tells us how to do this. It tells us to focus on what is true.  Oftentimes drama begins because of false rumors. We are told in the bible that the devil is the father of all liars (John 8:44). We are also told that lying is an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 12:22). We are also told that a liar will not go unpunished (Proverbs 19:9).  Focus on what is true.

Then we are told to focus on whatever is honorable.  The news reports are filled with all the evil that goes on in the world. I love listening to the news on K-Love Christian contemporary radio because they balance out the news with stories of kindness and goodness. There are a lot of people doing good in our country, but I guess it doesn’t make for a good, juicy story.

Then we are told to focus on what is just. In Isaiah 1:17 we are told to learn to do good and seek justice. Micha 6:8 tells us to seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God. Romans 12:19 tells us to trust God to avenge us and leave vengeance to the Lord. Psalm 106:3 says, Blessed are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!

We are told to focus on whatever is pure.  Purity doesn’t make for good gossip. People don’t tend to brag or focus on those who practice purity, they are much more interested in those who pursue the passions of the flesh. But, Matthew 5:8 says, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. We should pray Psalm 51:10 daily, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Don’t be distracted by the evil in this world and the desires of the flesh, focus on purity.

Whatever is lovely, focus on that. Things that are lovely often go unnoticed because we are so distracted by things that are vile and evil.  Trust in God to take care of that which is evil and focus on those things that are lovely. God gives us beautiful flowers for a reason, take time to stop and smell the roses. Take a minute to look at the splendor in the skies.

Focus on whatever is commendable.  There are people out there doing great things for God, but we don’t hear so much about them do we? Instead we hear about mass shootings, child abductions, murder suicides, and things of that nature. People love to talk about evil. 1 Peter 2:15 tells us that by doing good, we can silence the ignorance of foolish people.

And last but not least we are told that if there is any moral excellence and any praise that we should dwell on these things. Moral excellence sounds like a lofty goal, but when you think about it you can attain this simply by choosing to walk daily with the Lord.  You can teach this to your children by teaching them to love the Lord and put Him first in their lives. The bible tells us that if you start your child off in the way that they should go, even when they are not old, they should not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).  Focus on moral excellence and don’t focus on those that are practicing evil or fulfilling the desires of the flesh.

And keep a heart filled with praise.  God has good plans for you and wants what is best for you (Jeremiah 29:11).  Even in hard times, we have cause to praise Him.  Focus on Him and let Him handle the hard times for you (Matthew 6:33).

My friend, this is how to avoid drama in your life.  This is how to live a life filled with peace and joy.  My prayer for you today is that you practice these things and focus on God above and all of His goodness. Isn’t it time that you removed yourself from the drama?

Have a great day!