Week 49 - Day 1

Philippians 1-4

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Philippians 1-4 YouVersion(NIV)

Philippians chapter 4 is one of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible.  There are several verses in the book of Philippians that I cling to and am reminded of often, but especially chapter 4. 

In chapter 4, verse 4, Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!”  He wrote this letter to the church in Philippi while he was in prison in Rome.  Even in prison in chains he has joy because of Jesus Christ.  As a believer no matter what situation we may find ourselves in we can always have a reason to rejoice because He is with us and His love never fails.

Then verses 6 and 7 are the verses for the worrier in me.  I’ve read many times and memorized the New International Version of these verses, but to get a fresh look at them today I read The Message version.  “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.”  So true … there is nothing like experiencing the peace of God washing over the worry in your heart.

The “Whatever” Verse  - verse 8: “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.”  This verse was on a poster I had hanging behind my teacher’s desk in my choir room when I was teaching middle school choir.  There were days that I loved teaching, and there were days when I didn’t think I could teach another class.  There was one particular year and one particular class that was especially hard.  And after this class many days I would just turn and look at that poster and read through the “whatevers” to think about.  It was kind of a counting backward from 10 thing that helped me put things back into perspective – to stop thinking about the negative and what was going wrong and what I didn’t like, to thinking about Jesus and His plan for me there and the truth that He was with me. 

And finally verse 13: “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”  I am not a risk taker, and I am more fearful of a person than I would like to be.  But I am reminded often that it is Him who gives me strength, and through Him I can do anything.