“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)
“Happy Thanksgiving!” people will wish me repeatedly this week. Seems like everyone wishes for happiness. Everybody wants some. Everybody seeks it. Many people pretend to have it, yet few seem to truly possess it. Why is happiness so hard to find?
Pssst… lean in closer… I will whisper where to find it … the fourth chapter of Philippians. Look up and read verses six through thirteen.
Notice in verse six, Paul gives three clear instructions for finding lasting contentment. He says:
1) not to worry
2) pray about everything
3) thank God for everything
What if today we took this instruction to heart and put it into practice? What if today we decided not to worry about anything? What if when we found ourselves worrying, we stopped and handed the situation over to God in
prayer? What if we then thanked Him for taking care of the issue? In fact, what if we spent most of our mental free time today thinking about what good care our awesome God takes of us? What would happen then?
Paul says in verse seven, if we begin to live this way we will experience amazing peace – a kind of peace we can’t even imagine. This kind of peace is so powerful that it has a protective function on our hearts and minds - which only makes it easier and easier for us to stop worrying and be thankful. That sounds like a state of happiness to
me!
In verse eight Paul elaborates on what to think about instead of our worries –whatever is good, true, honorable, pure, lovely, praise worthy, and right. Many things can fall into these categories, but Christ encompasses them
all! This is not just “positive thinking,” this is spiritual thinking.
Further down in Philippians 4:10-13, Paul goes on to attest personally to the truth of this 3-step process as he writes from a Roman prison. From behind bars Paul says, “I’ve learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little … I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little" (Phil. 4:11-12). Did you catch that verb? Paul LEARNED how to be happy and content. It
didn’t just happen once he reached his goals. In fact, he claims his ability to be happy had nothing at all to do with his circumstances, but rather his increased trust in Christ.
So happy contentedness is not something that comes once our waistlines have slimmed, our wrinkles are erased, our houses are clean and well furnished, our children are successful, our husbands dote on us, or our dreams
are fulfilled. Instead it is learned as we become prayerful (verse 6) and thankful (verse 6), as we practice spiritual thinking (verse 8), and as we trust utterly in Christ (verse 13).
I can’t think of a better day to start practicing Paul’s process of prayer, thankfulness, and “spiritual thinking” than today. Happy Thanksgiving!
Dear Lord, I’m turning over all my fears and problems to You to handle today. I can’t fix a single thing by worrying about it - but you can fix anything because nothing is impossible for You! Thank You for my blessings, big and small. Thank You for Your loving care for me. Thank You for being in charge of my day. In Jesus’Name, Amen.
“Happy Thanksgiving!” people will wish me repeatedly this week. Seems like everyone wishes for happiness. Everybody wants some. Everybody seeks it. Many people pretend to have it, yet few seem to truly possess it. Why is happiness so hard to find?
Pssst… lean in closer… I will whisper where to find it … the fourth chapter of Philippians. Look up and read verses six through thirteen.
Notice in verse six, Paul gives three clear instructions for finding lasting contentment. He says:
1) not to worry
2) pray about everything
3) thank God for everything
What if today we took this instruction to heart and put it into practice? What if today we decided not to worry about anything? What if when we found ourselves worrying, we stopped and handed the situation over to God in
prayer? What if we then thanked Him for taking care of the issue? In fact, what if we spent most of our mental free time today thinking about what good care our awesome God takes of us? What would happen then?
Paul says in verse seven, if we begin to live this way we will experience amazing peace – a kind of peace we can’t even imagine. This kind of peace is so powerful that it has a protective function on our hearts and minds - which only makes it easier and easier for us to stop worrying and be thankful. That sounds like a state of happiness to
me!
In verse eight Paul elaborates on what to think about instead of our worries –whatever is good, true, honorable, pure, lovely, praise worthy, and right. Many things can fall into these categories, but Christ encompasses them
all! This is not just “positive thinking,” this is spiritual thinking.
Further down in Philippians 4:10-13, Paul goes on to attest personally to the truth of this 3-step process as he writes from a Roman prison. From behind bars Paul says, “I’ve learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little … I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little" (Phil. 4:11-12). Did you catch that verb? Paul LEARNED how to be happy and content. It
didn’t just happen once he reached his goals. In fact, he claims his ability to be happy had nothing at all to do with his circumstances, but rather his increased trust in Christ.
So happy contentedness is not something that comes once our waistlines have slimmed, our wrinkles are erased, our houses are clean and well furnished, our children are successful, our husbands dote on us, or our dreams
are fulfilled. Instead it is learned as we become prayerful (verse 6) and thankful (verse 6), as we practice spiritual thinking (verse 8), and as we trust utterly in Christ (verse 13).
I can’t think of a better day to start practicing Paul’s process of prayer, thankfulness, and “spiritual thinking” than today. Happy Thanksgiving!
Dear Lord, I’m turning over all my fears and problems to You to handle today. I can’t fix a single thing by worrying about it - but you can fix anything because nothing is impossible for You! Thank You for my blessings, big and small. Thank You for Your loving care for me. Thank You for being in charge of my day. In Jesus’Name, Amen.