This week's devotional is titled, Dwell on These Things, and is from our study in Philippians. Every day we are bombarded with negativity. News and social media feeds continually gnaw at us to focus on the bad things going on in the world and even in our lives. And if left unchecked, this can have a serious impact on our ability to trust God and to be joyful in every circumstance, just as we are instructed to do so in the preceding sentences of this chapter here in Philippians. So, how can we combat the world's blitz on our minds and our souls that aims to take away from the peace of God that surpasses all comprehension? In Philippians 4 verses 8-9, the Apostle Paul wrote, Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Paul's letter to the Philippians is one of the more encouraging epistles found in the New Testament, and here we see why. As we've learned before, the church was overall pretty healthy, and except for a few nudges, Paul did not have errant teaching or false belief to deal with, as he did with the other churches, such as the one in Galatia and in Corinth. So, here in verses 8 and 9, we see a gentle pastoral appeal to right thinking instead of issuing a stern correction. Now, perhaps the best way to look at verse eight is to compare each trait with its antonyms so that we can gauge where our thoughts may be residing, which directly translates to the level of joy and peace that we experience in life. So, whatever is true is not false or counterfeit. Whatever is right is not wrong or errant. Whatever is pure is not filthy or adulterated. Whatever is lovely is not terrible or rotten. Whatever is of good repute is not shameful or unethical. Whatever is of excellence is not mediocrity or inadequate. And whatever is worthy of praise is not dishonorable or deplorable. When viewed side by side, we can really see the difference between each quality. On one hand, we have what could be classified as character traits of the Lord, and on the other, character traits of the world. Contrasted, it's no wonder that Paul so meticulously detailed these in this passage and instructed believers to dwell on these things. The word rendered dwell is from the Greek logizomai, and it means to reckon with, to consider, and to take into account. So herein lies a choice. We can choose to dwell on the negatives, all the bad things going on in the world, all the shameful, disgraceful, dishonorable, and terrible things that are happening, or we can choose to dwell on what Scripture says to, things that are true, right, pure, lovely, excellent, and worthy of praise. Actively deciding to put aside the bad and focus on the good ties in perfectly with what we've learned in the preceding verses where Paul told readers to rejoice in the Lord always, be anxious for nothing, to pray with thanksgiving so that the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. That's from Philippians 4 verses 4 to 7. So, think of Paul's counsel as a repeating cycle. Focusing on all the good things God has done for us and all His beautiful attributes naturally causes us to rejoice. And when we rejoice, we can release our anxieties because we walk in faith and trust of the Lord. We can then pray with thanksgiving and praise knowing that He hears us. And this allows us to again focus on the good things, wash, rinse, repeat. Paul finishes this thought by saying, The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. What things had they learned, received, heard, and seen in Paul? The immediate context speaks of the very things found in this passage. If we put these into practice, Paul declares that the God of peace will be with you. Now, back in verse 7 he discussed the peace of God, and here in verse 9 he points to the God of peace. As though closing this circle of rejoicing, being thankful, releasing anxiety, thinking on good things, and practicing what we know to be godly behavior, we are not only given the peace of God, but we are promised that the God of peace will be with us. That is an incredible and encouraging promise of hope and joy. Thank you so much for listening today. You can find more biblical teaching at our website, truthmatterschurch.org, or simply look us up on Sermon Audio. Have a blessed day.