The God of peace can be with you.

That’s pretty great, isn’t it? And this isn’t just some vague sentiment. Paul tells us this directly in Philippians 4:8-9. What he says is built on the assumption that we trust in the almighty and gracious God as revealed in Christ. With that in mind, he tells us things to think about and focus on. Are you ready? Here’s what he says:

‘Whatever is false, whatever is dishonourable, whatever is unfair, whatever is dirty, whatever is angry, whatever is deplorable, if there is anything mediocre or worthy of criticism, think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of fear and panic will be with you.’

Oh, wait a minute. My mistake! That’s not what he said. Please excuse me. Let me try that again:

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

That’s better!

But do we focus on things in the first list or the second?

Imagine your brain in a jar. Imagine it soaking in a toxic liquid. What’s going to happen? It’s going to absorb it. But if your brain was soaking in good and godly things, what is going to happen then? You guessed it. It’s going to absorb it.

Consider one example. N.T. Wright says: “Read the news-papers [to this we could add social media feeds and newscasts]: their stock-in-trade is anything that is untrue, unholy, unjust, impure, ugly, of ill repute, vicious and blameworthy.

“Is that a true representation of God’s good and beautiful world?

“How are you going to celebrate the goodness of the creator if you feed your mind only on the places in the world which humans have made ugly?”

So very true.

Let’s focus less on things which take us to a place of fear and panic, and more on things which nurture the peace of God within.

---

Notes:

-“How To Achieve World Peace: Step 1.” Sermon. November 10, 2024. Click here.

–Coming this Sunday, November 17, 2024 on ‘The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan’: “How do demons gain access to people—a talk with Steve Dabbs,” the author of “When Demons Surface: True Stories about Spiritual Warfare and What the Bible Says about Confronting the Darkness.”

–*N.T. Wright, Paul For Everyone—The Prison Letters (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015), 131.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.