Philippians 4:10-13; Treadmill

“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.  (11) I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. (12) I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (13) I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

This passage was written for me.  I am selfish.  I am greedy.  I am discontented. I overlook the amazing blessings that I have and focus on the few things that I don’t.  If I were to rewrite the end of this passage for me, it would read more like:

“I have learned the secret of being discontent in any and every situation, whether well fed or even better fed, whether living in plenty or even more. Never be satisfied with what you have and always want more.” 

Discontent destroys joy.  I see it in Wren and Levi all the time – they are perfectly happy with their stuff until they see an awesome toy that their friends have. Immediately their dozens of toys and games are not worth playing with anymore. They want THAT toy and nothing else will do.

I feel so sorry for my children because they inherited that trait from me.  Just like I inherited it from my parents and so on and so on.  Discontent is a function of our broken humanity.  We know there should be more than there is.  Deep down we know we are missing something.  And that is true. 

In Genesis it talks about God walking with Adam in the garden during the cool of the day.  That is what we were created for; uninhibited access to and relationship with God with nothing in the way.  Since sin entered the world, that easy intimacy is gone.

While our relationship with Christ reopens the line of communication and brings salvation, healing and grace, we still struggle with sin and live in a world bound by sin.  We get moments and mountain top experiences, but the consequences of sin keep those experiences from being easy or full time. 

That leaves a hole that needs to be filled.  We can fill it by pouring more and more into Jesus. That slowly grows our capacity to live according to his will which brings more intimacy and contentment. That is the smart, effective thing to do.

But that takes a lot of discipline and effort and take time. We want contentment NOW!  So we buy things that we want. We take vacations because new experiences really fill the void – at least till you get home. We pour into ourselves instead of God and it feels great until the next want arises. And then you have to chase that one and the next one and the next one. Not smart or effective.

It’s like trying to run a marathon on a treadmill.  You are working really hard, but you will never get anywhere.  You will end up tired and bored and unfulfilled.  Your life will be one big sigh of frustration.  Does this ring a bell for anyone?  This is right where I live – like all the time!

Contentment is never attained, only accepted.  Allow me to say that again: Contentment is never attained, only accepted.  If you cannot be content right now, you will never be content in the future.

Fulfilling your every want and desire will not bring contentment. Acquiring things or chasing experiences will not bring contentment.  Only Jesus brings contentment.  So get off the treadmill and start moving toward Jesus – I guarantee contentment will follow! 

“It’s not having what you want; its wanting what you’ve got.” – Cheryl Crow, Soak up the Sun

Philippians 4:10; Encourage Always

^“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.”

Paul knew that the Philippian church loved him and cared for him.  He had wonderful friends and deep, meaningful relationships with these people. They had become more like family than just some people at a church. Paul KNEW that these folks loved him.  But even though Paul knew all this; it meant the world to receive a care package from Philippi while he was in prison. A physical representation of care and concern is a powerful thing!

A personal example (not set in prison): Some of you know that I wrote a column for the Christian Camping magazine last year.  I sent in six articles every other month and then each were published in the magazine two months later.  It was a great challenge and experience for me – I loved it! 

Unlike speaking, with writing you don’t get a lot feedback.  You finish it, email it, and that’s it.  But I know that God’s word never comes back void and I know that he uses everything we say or do or write in His name for His glory.  So I was perfectly content with my series and very happy with the whole process.  After I sent in my final article; it was all over as far as I was concerned. 

Then, a week before Christmas I received an email from a camp director thanking me for one of the articles. He said my article was exactly what he needed to hear and that it was very helpful.  And that was it – short and sweet.  But I cannot tell you how encouraging that was to me.  Even though I KNEW God would use those articles – it was super encouraging to hear it firsthand. 

Because of that experience, I sent an email to the author of a book I had recently finished and told him, “Thanks for writing this book!  It really encouraged me and is helping me in my walk with Christ.”  It took like 10 minutes, including Google search time.  No big deal.

I received an email back from that guy the next morning thanking me for thanking him.  This guy is a successful author and pastor and he took the time to send an email to a complete stranger.  Why?  Because we all need encouragement.

The takeaway?  Tell your friends and family that you love them.  Thank those who have been a blessing to you.  Write a note to your pastor.  Send a care package to a friend.  Send a Facebook message, email or text to a Sunday School teacher.  It will make their day and will encourage them to do the same.  Encouragement is extremely contagious!

I challenge you to send a note of some sort to at least one person by the end of the week.  Even if you don’t hear anything back – you will be glad you did.  Encouraging others encourages us too!

“Instruction does much; but encouragement (does) everything.” – Goethe

Philippians 4:9; Imitation

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.”

What is your initial reaction to that statement?  Mine is: “Wow, Paul is pretty arrogant.”  I know myself too well to say, “I have this Jesus thing figured out – do what I do and you’ll be good.”  Yikes!  I hope there are better examples than me out there. That is my first reaction.

But as I think a little deeper, Paul wasn’t prideful. In fact, just the opposite.  In Romans 7:14-25, Paul articulates clearly his struggle to obey Christ.  He ends that passage with this very non-arrogant phrase, “Who will save me from this body of death?”  Paul is the last person who would say, “I’m perfect, follow me.” 

So on what basis is he saying, follow me?  In the Christian life, it’s not my ability that counts; it’s my ability to allow God to use me.  Role models and leaders are people who in spite of their faults say, “Follow me” because they know it is Christ who does the work in them. 

When they succeed – they praise the Lord because they know the success came from Him.  When they fail, they humble themselves and ask forgiveness – and praise the Lord for His grace.  It isn’t about us – it’s about Jesus!  Role models and leaders know that…and cling to like a lifeline.

Charles Barkley once said, “I am not a role model…just because I dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.”  And in one sense, he is right.  Being a basketball player doesn’t mean he signed up to be a role model.  But you don’t get to opt out of having someone look up to you.  You can be chosen as a role model whether you apply for the job or not. 

You can be like Chuck and deny your responsibility to those around you.  Or you can understand that someone looks up to you and seize that opportunity to be a Godly role model.  Paul knew that the church in Philippi looked up to him, so he embraced that responsibility and committed to lead them.

Being a role model isn’t about your perfection. It means that you have drawn a line in the sand and committed yourself to Christ and can say like Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” 

Our culture and our church desperately need people willing to say, “Follow me!  I am not perfect, but I’m following Jesus the best I can!” 

Are you ready to make that stand today?  If not, why not? 

“Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God.  Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.” – Hebrews 13:7

Philippians 4:8; Attitude

“Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.”

Why do we spend so much time worrying, complaining and being angry about things that we have no control over?  Seriously, take a moment and think about that.  How much energy do you waste on things like the weather, the actions of others, traffic, and other uncontrollable things?  If you are like me, far too much of my energy goes to things I can’t control.

I remember being upset and angry for hours because my team lost a big football game.  I remember it so well because it was on Saturday!  And then I get angry because I know I am being stupid for being angry which just makes it worse – I’m a basket-case.  Being disappointed is one thing, but I was several giant steps beyond disappointed.  So ridiculous.

But I digress…while there are lots of things we can’t control, there are some things we can control.  And the greatest of those is this: we can always control our attitude.  We can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to the things that happen to us.  Just go ahead and jot this down:

Your ability to control your attitude will determine your ability to enjoy life.

You really have two options. You can choose to focus on things you can’t control: terrorism, gun violence, ISIS, the lack of morality in our culture, cancer, fear, disease, and all the negative aspects of life. Or, you can choose to focus on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. 

Which of those two people would you rather hang out with?  Which of those two people would you rather be?  You can be.  If the Bible tells you to do it, Christ will give you the ability to do it.  And it starts by disciplining your mind to look past the temporary reality around us to the permanent reality that resides within us. 

In the face of really terrible things, we can set our minds on the excellent and praiseworthy because Jesus overcame the world – and He lives within us.  Being a follower of Christ doesn’t make all the hard things in life go away, to the contrary, sometimes they get worse!  But knowing Christ allows us to rise above our circumstances and live joyfully in midst of challenges. 

And I don’t know about you, but I want to be a positive, encouraging, and thankful kind of person.  And the way to do that is to follow Paul’s command to set your mind on things that are true, noble, and right.  It is not easy, but it is good!

“We become what we think about.” – Earl Nightingale

Philippians 4:7; The Prince of Peace II

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Picking up where we left off last week; how does the peace of God guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus?  Let’s take a look.

When a challenging issue crops up, we have two choices: take it to God or don’t take it to God.  Let’s start with what happens when we deal with things apart from God.  You probably know this already, but when we face struggles, the enemy sees an opportunity to attack. It can go something like this:

“Wow, this area of your life is really tough, why not focus on other things for a while? School, friends, entertainment, anything will do.”  And you ignore the problem instead of dealing with it.

Then he says, “Hmmm…it isn’t getting better. Why isn’t anyone helping you?” You start to doubt your friends and family.  Anger walks in. 

And then he says, “No one is helping you because no one cares for you.”  Self-pity and fear creep in. 

And then he says, “It’s probably not going to get better and you know what?  Try this, it will actually make you feel better!”  And maybe you do – and maybe you do feel better for a short time, but the issue comes right back, worse than before.  Resignation enters and possibly addiction too. 

And then he says, “You are a mess!  No way God would ever love anyone like you.”  Despair sets in.  Your heart and mind have been compromised and peace is beyond comprehension.

Does that scenario sound familiar?  The enemy is more cunning than we can imagine and his goal is to DESTROY you!  He will not play fair or follow the rules.  That is why we so desperately need the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds.  What does that look like? 

How about this?  A challenge arises and you take it directly to God.  Whenever worry or anxiety or frustration comes in, you use it as a reminder to give that situation over to God.  And every time you do that, you thank God for His grace and faithfulness. You begin to realize that the more you focus on Jesus, the more at peace you feel. 

Your situation might not be any better, but YOU are better.  You have a sense that things are going to be okay, even if things are really tough.  And your heart and mind are protected because you are focused on Jesus which leaves no room for the enemy to attack.

Jesus says, “In this world you will have trouble.”  If trouble isn’t already here, it’s coming.  But He also says, “Take heart for I have overcome the world.”  Jesus doesn’t say that He will immediately fix all your troubles; it is often those very troubles that drive us to Him. 

And it is then that we learn how to live a faithful life in the midst of troubles which is where the peace that passes understanding resides.  And that is much more valuable than just having your troubles disappear.  Because like it or not, more troubles are coming – Jesus empowers us to overcome!

I won’t say that keeping your eyes on Jesus during a trial is easy, but it is the only way you will have peace consistently in your life.  And that is well worth the effort!

“God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.  There is no such thing.” – CS Lewis

Philippians 4:6; Anxiety

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” 

I realize I could say this about a lot of verses, but if we REALLY believed this truth AND lived our lives accordingly – the world would be a very different a place.  And if the world didn’t become a better place, at least we (as individuals and the church) would be much different and that would be miracle enough.  Let’s work from back to front with this verse. 

“…with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Because we can present our requests to God, we are thankful – or should be thankful.  Our prayers and requests are heard by an all-loving and all-powerful God who is heavily invested in each of us.  Not only does God hear us, but He is faithful to answer our prayers.  Not always the way we want Him to, but God always hears and He always answers our prayers.  And if He doesn’t answer the way you want Him to – it’s for your own good.  God knows best!

“…but in every situation, by prayer and petition…”

Not only can we pray to a loving God, but we can pray at any time in any situation. God doesn’t only listen to us when we are good and faithful.  He listens to us when we are angry, lost, and confused just as faithfully as when we are joyful, thankful and focused. “Every situation” also reminds us that nothing is too hard for God – whatever you are going through – He can handle it. (Note: unconfessed sin hinders prayers, as well as other sin issues, but that is a discussion for another day.)

“Do not be anxious about anything…”

We are thankful because our loving God hears our prayers and acts on our behalf in every situation.  What do we have to be anxious about?  Nothing!  Do not be anxious about anything.  That means ANY thing.  Worried about school?  Don’t be.  Anxious about terrorists?  God is in control.  Money troubles?  The cattle on a thousand hills are God’s and He loves to give good gifts!  Relationship concerns?  It’s okay – God is with you. 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” 

Are you worried and anxious?  Christ came to take that away.  As we begin the Advent Season, what better message?  Emmanuel, God with us.  Give Him your burdens and He will give you His peace.  Just like most things in life, Jesus is the answer to your anxiety! 

“If God cares for you, why need you care too?  Can you trust Him for your soul and not your body?  He has never refused to bear your burdens; He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul!  Have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God.” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Philippians 4:5

“Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.”

One of my favorite things about the Kingdom of God is how wonderfully different it is than anything else.  If you want to save your life…lose it.  If you want to be great…be a servant.  Someone hates you…pray for them.  In the eyes of the world, the priorities of the Kingdom of God must look totally bonkers!

There is no chapter in the latest leadership book that highlights gentleness.  In the eyes of the world, gentleness begins and ends with our mother, toilet paper, and the bedside manner of our doctor – that’s it.  Anywhere else, gentleness is a sign of weakness – something to be eradicated, not applauded.

So let’s look at gentleness for a moment.  Gentleness can also be translated as “meekness”; which doesn’t sound much better. “Meek as a mouse” is a common phrase that comes to mind.  Scared, timid, hiding in the corner – that is often how we think about meekness.  But the definition of meekness is “Might restrained”.  That is a very different picture.

To keep with our mouse illustration: the true picture of meekness is not a mouse, but a lion choosing to act like a mouse.  The lion is big and powerful, but is choosing to restrain its might so that it can be gentle.  Or more visibly, I saw this picture yesterday:

 

And I don’t think the lion is just checking to see if the fawn needs more salt.  This male lion (not know for gentleness and compassion) is restraining his natural tendencies to care for this tiny, fragile creature.  That is meekness.  Meekness is not weakness; it is restrained power for the benefit of another.

I have read this passage dozens of times.  But today is the first time I really noticed the second sentence, “For the Lord is near.”  Why does the Lord being near encourage us to be gentle?  I think for a couple of reasons:

1. The Lord is near: He is gentle with us so we should be gentle with others.
2. The Lord is near: He sees all that we do, so we need to be about His business.
3. The Lord is near: He will empower us to be gentle with others.

I like number three the best.  We can be gentle and caring for others because God give us the strength to do so.  Be kind and thoughtful to all you meet.  Consider others more important than yourself.  Forgive readily and be at peace with everyone.  God is near to encourage and empower you to live like Jesus.  Let you gentleness be evident to everyone! 

“The greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender.” – William Booth