What Do Your Actions Show: A Philippians 4:4-9 Devotion

Gail Davis

Gail Davis

Missionary at IMB (International Mission Board)-teaches the Bible, teaches ESL, and works with refugees

Published Jul 9, 2015

"Rejoice in the Lord ever; again I volition say, rejoice! Permit your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for zilch, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving allow your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will baby-sit your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is truthful, any is honorable, any is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if annihilation worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things y'all have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will exist with you." Philippians 4:iv-9 [NASB]

Paul taught the Philippian Christians in the previous chapter things would non give them salvation – neither condition nor physical things. He taught and encouraged them to press on for the college calling. Paul meant they were to grow more than Christlike and with that process become more perfect and complete in Christ – more than holy. He affirmed he had non yet attained that calling, just had hope of its occurrence when he went to alive with Christ in sky. Paul believed and knew with his whole existence salvation from his sins through Jesus Christ would requite him eternal life in sky with the Father as a co-heir with Jesus Christ.

With chapter iv, Paul gave comfort to the believers in Philippi. In verses 5, seven, and nine, he spoke about the Lord. He said the "Lord is nigh," "the peace of God will baby-sit their hearts and minds," and the "God of peace will be with you lot." Knowing that God is near will requite courage to any believer to be and practise as God expects His children to be and exercise. Since God is nigh, nothing could overcome them. On pinnacle of knowing the Lord is most, knowing the Lord will give yous His peace is comforting. In the mist of any circumstance, we can rely upon God knowing He will take care of united states. The peace that comes from knowing and believing this is great. Christians do not take to fret or worry. Paul noted another attribute of this peace in verse seven. He said, "And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The phrase "the peace of God" speaks of the mode that leads to peace – salvation. A person has this peace of God because he or she is bodacious of his or her salvation. Even if a believer is killed, he or she knows without dubiousness he or she is not eternally dead. Eternal death is separation from God, merely Christians have eternal life. They are saved from their sins and will be in God's presence. Salvation begins while alive and continues to eternity.

Within these six verses Paul spoke of deportment and attitudes of a Christ-follower. Commencement, though, he told the Philippian Christians to rejoice, to feel and show neat joy. He emphasized it by repeating information technology. Why should the believers rejoice? Paul explained it in the previous chapters and sums it in these verses every bit noted above  - the Lord is virtually and He gives His children His peace. Rejoice is the start external activeness Paul taught the Philippian believers to do. He told them another external action to practise.

Paul said, Let your gentle spirit be known to all men." Gentleness becomes credible to other people through deportment. Gentleness is a mildness of temperament, a fairness. This mildness comes from an internal calm and care for others. Gentleness comes from the attitudes inside a person. Gentleness can exist known to other people when this mildness of temperament is acted upon in 1's daily life. Information technology comes from within a person and is enacted externally. Gentleness can be lived internally, as well, past kindly because others. From this kind consideration, gentleness is lived out in relating to people. In verse eight, Paul speaks about the internal qualities of a believer, just equally he spoke of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. From the living out of the internal qualities of a person, that person's likeness to Christ can be seen by people. Jesus taught this same thing in the Beattitudes in Matthew v.

Other external deportment Paul taught the Philippian Christians while because the Lord's nearness and the hope of salvation He gives them are praying and seeking God's help while thanking Him for who He is and what He will practice. Knowing of the Lord's great beloved that would provide salvation and knowing He wants to exist almost brings out a state of thankfulness at all times. Praying, seeking God's intervention, and thanking Him are external actions, merely they come from an internal awareness – of awe and knowledge  - of God and His power and love.

So far, Paul taught in this Bible passage 4 things for the believers in Philippi to continue doing – rejoice, be gentle, pray, inquire, and be thankful. Each of these comes from an internal awareness of who they are in relation to who God is and what He did. Next, in poetry 8, Paul taught them to consider and meditate on eight virtues, virtues that come from God. Meditating on something is considering information technology and acting upon it. These 8 virtues of God Paul wanted the believers to consider, blot, and human action upon and so they get more like Christ and show who God is to those they encounter. The believers, like Paul, were Christ's emissaries. Paul told them to consider and meditate on:

  • whatever is truthful – correct and right
  • whatever is honorable – virtuous and honest
  • whatever is right – righteous like God, guiltless
  • whatever is pure – sacred, clean, pure from all fault
  • any is lovely – acceptable to God, delightful, pleasing
  • whatever is of adept repute – spoken well of, spoken of favorably
  • whatever is of excellent – virtuous of thought, feeling, and activeness
  • whatever is worthy of praise – commendable, exemplary

Thinking on these eight attributes tin make a person acquire them as part of his or her personality and graphic symbol if he or she chooses to live by them. These eight attributes come up from God – His being – and involve a change of attitude of a sinful person, which can occur when a person accepts Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior. Paul became more than Christlike throughout his life, as did the disciples of Christ and most other believers in Jesus Christ.

Paul closed this department of his letter to the Philippians reminding the believers there they learned these attributes, received them into themselves equally they meditated upon teachings past disciples of Christ, and heard and saw them through Paul's words and actions. These attitudes and actions worthy to be emulated Paul taught and allowable the Philippian Christians exercise them. They were to take them into their minds, consider them and put them in their hearts, then human action upon them. This is a very Hebrew idea. Moses used this thought with the Israelites when he told them in Deuteronomy to keep all the commandments of the LORD. The discussion "go along" comes from the Hebrew word shamar and means to hear, heed, and practise. In the Hebrew thought, a person cannot hear something without actively listening and because it and then acting upon it. Paul meant this same thing in verse nine when he allowable the Philippian Christians "do these things." He gave the added incentive that God's peace would be with them when they skilful these worthy things.

When a person sins, the Spirit of God convicts him or her about his or her sin. That confidence gives no peace to the person. God's peace comes into a person's life when he or she confesses his or her sin and accepts God's forgiveness. Added peace comes when the person's human relationship with God grows and he or she becomes more Christlike. And so the person knows the Lord is always near and will always have care of him or her. Becoming more than Christlike means taking on the attributes of Christ, which are the fruit of the Spirit. Paul taught the Philippian Christians to recognize, meditate on, and practice eight worthy attributes in verse eight.

When reading and studying this passage, we must enquire ourselves questions. Practise we see and recognize these attributes of which Paul spoke? Are we practicing them equally we alive? Are we virtually to God? Do we take the peace of God guarding us? I do not know most yous, just in studying this list of attributes Christ portrayed and considering myself, I recognize I demand to grow more than. To exercise this I will have to report God's Word, pray to Him for the ability to overcome the temptation that leads me to fall brusk of these goals, and practice the attributes. As I do these, my relationship with God deepens and I begin to look more like Christ. I begin to emulate Him and portray His/these characteristics.

What most you? On which characteristics/attributes do y'all fall brusque? Before that even, do you have the peace of God that comes from knowing He has saved yous from your sins and brought you to Himself? Nosotros each have a means to go to be Christlike. We must each, similar Paul said, press on for the upward calling.

What will y'all do near this today?

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