Philippians 3-4 (B) CSB
Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. (4:8-9)
It seems like peace is hard to come by these days, and the majority of people struggle with anxiety in one form or another. Yet, the secret to peace is given to us right here in this text. Our peace is directly tied to what we “dwell on” and what we “do.” Paul makes it clear that if we dwell on true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy things then the God of peace will be with us. If you are a child of God then He is always with you, but you don’t always experience His peace. You have to be sure that your mind is filled with Him so that you are thinking right, and you have to be sure that you are obeying His word so that you are doing right.
Isaiah put it this way, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3). Focusing on God, and on the things of God, will naturally bring peace to your soul as you consider His promises and His attributes. In the same way, we used to say “you are what you eat,” well I would say that “you become what you think about.” If your mind dwells on the Lord, or on anything else that is honorable, just, pure, and lovely then your mind will be renewed and peaceful. I even find that reading biographies about others who were honorable, pure, etc. encourages me, and experiencing the beauty of God’s creation can also put my mind at ease.
As a society, we are more advanced than at any other time in history, yet anxiety issues and depression are at epidemic proportions. Children and youth, especially, struggle more with anxiousness, depression, and ADHD than ever before. We are the most medicated people in history and often, it seems, the most unhappy. I can’t help but think the problem is what we are “dwelling on.” Young people are inundated with images and issues on T.V., the internet and social media that are unhealthy and cause nothing but anxiety. It is no wonder that the result is eating disorders, gender confusion, bullying, and teen suicide. The cure is to dwell, think on, watch, and listen to what is pure, what is commendable, and what pleases God. Only this will bring peace to your troubled heart.
