new way to be human: chill out
How ya’ll doin’?
Today we’re going to continue our look at Philippians. Since the start of the year we’ve been digging in to see that there is a New Way to Be Human. When we are found in a new life with Christ, the old is laid to rest and we learn to live in an entirely new way. Our passage today is the fourth chapter of Philippians.
Do you know someone that just seems "stable?"
Let me explain what I mean by that. Do you know someone that just never seems to be fazed by the circumstances that surround him or her? There was this man I had met while I was working at a book store in Green Bay. His name was Ralph. Now, Ralph was an older guy and had spent the entirety of his life as a single man. He loved God and just enjoyed being around people. Ralph would come into the store at least once a week and would be there for hours at a time as he went person to person talking, encouraging, and praying. Very seldom did I ever see Ralph without a smile on his face. The best way I could describe him is to say that he was a man of great peace. Do you know someone like Ralph? Do you know someone that always seems to have peace? Someone who is seldom over-stressed? Someone who is always happy? Sometimes this can be almost a bad thing, right? Do you know someone that is always way too over-perky? But what I’m really talking about are the sort of people that we have in our life that just seems well-adjusted and serene. Not only do they appear to be peaceful, but they are somehow a source of peace to anyone around them as well.
Have you realized over the past few weeks how many times Paul talks about joy in Philippians? It’s joy this and rejoice that and a quick be joyful over there… It just bubbles up and out of him. Rejoice! Rejoice always! Now, remember, Paul wasn’t really living a great life. He was going town to town in threat of persecution. He was receiving beatings, getting shipwrecked, and bitten by snakes… People were stoning him and tossing him in prison… not the sort of life you’d be expecting by the way he is writing here, right? Paul models a life of joy because he knows what’s important in life. He has the Spirit of God working inside of him to bring about this joy. This is the same expectation he has for other followers of Jesus. He not only expects us to be people of joy, but also of gentleness, and peace.
Okay, so I love this passage because it is one I remind myself of frequently.
I’m a worrier.
Anybody else a worrier? More than anything else I struggle with, worry is the worst. I love being around peaceful people because they help me calm down. I see things pile up in my life and I get overwhelmed. I’m the sort of guy that lies down at night and spend the next 5 hours trying to get my mind to stop thinking about the things I need to get done. You know what I mean? What is Paul’s response to this? He says, “Do not be anxious to anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Okay… so, pray about it.
Pray about it.
Now, I don’t know about you, but there are times when I’m wrestling with things that really weigh on me and I sometimes get to a point where, if I hear one more person tell me to “Let go and let God,” I swear I’m gonna’ smack ‘em up-side their noggin’!
Seriously! There are times when the most holy thing I can think of is how to get away from that person so I don’t do something that I’ll have to repent for! Y’know what I mean?
But regardless of my feelings, despite my grandiose ideas of how massive my problems are, there is always one who is greater than the problems of this world. For me, I have to understand why I should pray for that prayer to make sense to me. Let’s look at the teachings of Jesus.
In Matthew 6 Jesus said this:
Can you agree with that? Each day has enough trouble of its own. Why carry the worries of yesterday into tomorrow when there is plenty of worries already waiting for me?!
Pause.
You may have noticed that this passage started with the word “therefore.” Whenever we read the Bible we must ask a question when we come to this word.
Jesus then goes on by saying, “Therefore…” don’t worry about your life. Don’t worry about food or shelter or clothing or anything else. Why? Jesus makes a few points here. The first is that God takes care of all of the animals and all of the plants- we are more important to Him than they are. God’s really got it under control. Secondly, Jesus appeals to us to use our heads… “Who of you can add a single hour to your life by worrying?” Most often, worrying is the least productive thing we can do in the situation. When you’re lying in bed at night giving yourself an ulcer over your finances, what good are you doing? Are you making any money by worrying? Or are you losing sleep that will in turn hurt your productivity? Not to mention the extra money you’ll waste because you have to buy Tums now! There’s just no sense in being anxious. Finally, Jesus tells us this last thing… it’s implied. When he says that we shouldn’t be freaking out over the little things he also says that our heavenly Father knows what we need. What is implied is that God has our best interest in mind. He really does know what we need and will provide it. What do we have to do? Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness. He’s saying that if we do our job, God will do his. God always holds up his part of the deal.
So, back to our passage for today. “Do not be anxious… instead, pray.”
Isn’t it a great feeling to not have to worry about something?
I think of how relieved my mom was when she found out that my aunt was hosting the family for last Thanksgiving. She was able to just show up and enjoy. No stress, no worry. She brought her vegetable dish, but when she had her job done, she knew that everything was going to be taken care of. The same thing happens in our lives when we just trust God and let Him be God. When we set our sights on Him and let Him be our focus, He will do his part as a provider and caretaker. We don’t have to be anxious because God knows what is best for us and He wants to provide that for us.
When we get this understanding through our thick skulls, we will see how everything else in this passage just falls into place. When we stop worrying and we permit God to be the focus of our mind and heart, we will experience peace. Now, the peace he’s talking about isn’t like “Peace in the Middle East” sort of stuff, but rather it is a peace that is a divine gift that permits us to keep our cool in the midst of struggle. Remember we were talking about those peaceful people. Think about the way our passage started for today in talking about Euodia and Syntyche. These women were embroiled in a feud. Evidently this must have been significant if Paul was able to be notified of it by messenger, then feels he must write regarding it. Remember, this is the true snail mail. No e-mail here. These are evidently women who were influential and very capable leaders who worked with Paul in Philippi. But yet they are in a bit of a disagreement. He appeals to the women to make peace, to seek unity. He also pleads with the people to be peacemakers. The Christ-followers of Philippi are to assist in the matter. Paul then goes on to describe being joyful, gentle, peaceful and prayerful. This isn’t coincidence. He didn’t just happen to write about these things after talking about the dispute. The people you want around in a tough time are people who exemplify peace, love, and prayer.
Isn’t it great to have someone around that can have and share peace in times of turmoil? This is what is meant by a peace that transcends all understanding. Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to have peace, but we find it and can share it with others because of the knowledge we have in the fact that Jesus is still the Savior and God is still keeping His eye on things. This peace of God is described as being able to guard our hearts and minds. That makes sense, right? Do you ever find that as you worry, you find more and more and more things to worry about? All of a sudden things are flooding at you and it isn’t long before you’re looking for ways to cope. You get bombarded by the anxieties that you face and then you start thinking about how great a stiff drink would be, or how much you long for the touch of a lover, or you desire a piece of cake… and a couple Twinkies… and a bag of Doritos… and a wheel of cheese. Do you see where I’m going with that? When we permit God to be God, He will give us peace and protect our minds from the temptations that follow being caught up in this world. We also become part of the solution as opposed to being a part of the problem.
Earlier we were talking about the way that peaceful and joyful people have a tendency to share that with others. Do you realize that this goes both ways? Emotions are a two-way track. Just as pleasant people can share their joy… anxious people, and angry people, and bitter people… can spread that as well. On Saturday Night Live, Rachel Dratch plays this character named Debbie Downer. She has this uncanny ability to turn every joyful and delightful event into anguish. I can only imagine what she would be like in a crisis situation!
Obviously her characterization is an exaggeration, but haven’t we all experienced something like this before? That foul tempered person can turn all of our joy into misery. Now imagine being in a crisis situation and think of someone who sees only pain and darkness coming into the situation… he/she only makes everything worse! We get further insight about this as we look at what Paul wrote to the Ephesians. In Ephesians 4:22-29 Paul writes,
Put off the old self, put anger to rest, build each other up. We’ve all heard, “You are what you eat.” Have you ever heard the phrase “Garbage in, garbage out?” this is what we’re talking about today. What you let take place in your heart and mind, or what you let in to take residency there is what will eventually come out of you. We must be very careful about what we take in and how we live. In Proverbs 4:22-27 it says,
See? What we have in our heart is what will flow out of us as it is the wellspring of our life. What we hear, what we say, what we read, what we experience all seeps into us. The passage today says, “…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.” When you are thinking and experiencing what is right, true, noble, pure, and so on… that’s what is going to take root in your heart and what is going to be the overflow of your life. When you let God be God and when you let His peace dwell within you, you will experience peace, you will share peace, and you will be a peacemaker. You will “let your gentleness be evident to all.” Then, when we are in critical situations, we will be a source of peace to others because Christ is the source of our peace.
What kind of person are you? Do you make situations better or worse? Are you experiencing joy and peace? Do you share that with others? Or are you spreading the anxiety, fear, and anger that you carry with you? What is inside of you... inside your wellspring... that is waiting to come out?
Today we’re going to continue our look at Philippians. Since the start of the year we’ve been digging in to see that there is a New Way to Be Human. When we are found in a new life with Christ, the old is laid to rest and we learn to live in an entirely new way. Our passage today is the fourth chapter of Philippians.
1Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that
is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
Exhortations
2I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree
with each other in the Lord. 3Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these
women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with
Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:
Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be
anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, 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.
9Whatever 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.
Do you know someone that just seems "stable?"
Let me explain what I mean by that. Do you know someone that just never seems to be fazed by the circumstances that surround him or her? There was this man I had met while I was working at a book store in Green Bay. His name was Ralph. Now, Ralph was an older guy and had spent the entirety of his life as a single man. He loved God and just enjoyed being around people. Ralph would come into the store at least once a week and would be there for hours at a time as he went person to person talking, encouraging, and praying. Very seldom did I ever see Ralph without a smile on his face. The best way I could describe him is to say that he was a man of great peace. Do you know someone like Ralph? Do you know someone that always seems to have peace? Someone who is seldom over-stressed? Someone who is always happy? Sometimes this can be almost a bad thing, right? Do you know someone that is always way too over-perky? But what I’m really talking about are the sort of people that we have in our life that just seems well-adjusted and serene. Not only do they appear to be peaceful, but they are somehow a source of peace to anyone around them as well.
Have you realized over the past few weeks how many times Paul talks about joy in Philippians? It’s joy this and rejoice that and a quick be joyful over there… It just bubbles up and out of him. Rejoice! Rejoice always! Now, remember, Paul wasn’t really living a great life. He was going town to town in threat of persecution. He was receiving beatings, getting shipwrecked, and bitten by snakes… People were stoning him and tossing him in prison… not the sort of life you’d be expecting by the way he is writing here, right? Paul models a life of joy because he knows what’s important in life. He has the Spirit of God working inside of him to bring about this joy. This is the same expectation he has for other followers of Jesus. He not only expects us to be people of joy, but also of gentleness, and peace.
Okay, so I love this passage because it is one I remind myself of frequently.
I’m a worrier.
Anybody else a worrier? More than anything else I struggle with, worry is the worst. I love being around peaceful people because they help me calm down. I see things pile up in my life and I get overwhelmed. I’m the sort of guy that lies down at night and spend the next 5 hours trying to get my mind to stop thinking about the things I need to get done. You know what I mean? What is Paul’s response to this? He says, “Do not be anxious to anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Okay… so, pray about it.
Pray about it.
Now, I don’t know about you, but there are times when I’m wrestling with things that really weigh on me and I sometimes get to a point where, if I hear one more person tell me to “Let go and let God,” I swear I’m gonna’ smack ‘em up-side their noggin’!
Seriously! There are times when the most holy thing I can think of is how to get away from that person so I don’t do something that I’ll have to repent for! Y’know what I mean?
But regardless of my feelings, despite my grandiose ideas of how massive my problems are, there is always one who is greater than the problems of this world. For me, I have to understand why I should pray for that prayer to make sense to me. Let’s look at the teachings of Jesus.
In Matthew 6 Jesus said this:
Do Not Worry
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about
your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than
they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies
of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even
Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God
clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into
the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not
worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we
wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father
knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry
about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough
trouble of its own.
Can you agree with that? Each day has enough trouble of its own. Why carry the worries of yesterday into tomorrow when there is plenty of worries already waiting for me?!
Pause.
You may have noticed that this passage started with the word “therefore.” Whenever we read the Bible we must ask a question when we come to this word.
What is the 'therefore' there for?If we start with “therefore,” we know that we are starting in the middle of a thought. Just before this passage, Jesus was talking about storing up our treasures in heaven and knowing that our heart will be found where our treasure is kept. Meaning, if we keep a focus on storing up treasures here on earth by accumulating the stuff of earth, our heart will be tied up in the things of this world, but if we focus our heart heavenward and find our treasure in the love and blessing of God, we will find our heart there with Him. When we invest in our belongings... the trappings of this world, we store up treasures in the here and now. When we invest in the work of God and the lives of others, we store up our treasures in heaven. Plain and simple, just the way Jesus intended!
Jesus then goes on by saying, “Therefore…” don’t worry about your life. Don’t worry about food or shelter or clothing or anything else. Why? Jesus makes a few points here. The first is that God takes care of all of the animals and all of the plants- we are more important to Him than they are. God’s really got it under control. Secondly, Jesus appeals to us to use our heads… “Who of you can add a single hour to your life by worrying?” Most often, worrying is the least productive thing we can do in the situation. When you’re lying in bed at night giving yourself an ulcer over your finances, what good are you doing? Are you making any money by worrying? Or are you losing sleep that will in turn hurt your productivity? Not to mention the extra money you’ll waste because you have to buy Tums now! There’s just no sense in being anxious. Finally, Jesus tells us this last thing… it’s implied. When he says that we shouldn’t be freaking out over the little things he also says that our heavenly Father knows what we need. What is implied is that God has our best interest in mind. He really does know what we need and will provide it. What do we have to do? Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness. He’s saying that if we do our job, God will do his. God always holds up his part of the deal.
So, back to our passage for today. “Do not be anxious… instead, pray.”
Isn’t it a great feeling to not have to worry about something?
I think of how relieved my mom was when she found out that my aunt was hosting the family for last Thanksgiving. She was able to just show up and enjoy. No stress, no worry. She brought her vegetable dish, but when she had her job done, she knew that everything was going to be taken care of. The same thing happens in our lives when we just trust God and let Him be God. When we set our sights on Him and let Him be our focus, He will do his part as a provider and caretaker. We don’t have to be anxious because God knows what is best for us and He wants to provide that for us.
When we get this understanding through our thick skulls, we will see how everything else in this passage just falls into place. When we stop worrying and we permit God to be the focus of our mind and heart, we will experience peace. Now, the peace he’s talking about isn’t like “Peace in the Middle East” sort of stuff, but rather it is a peace that is a divine gift that permits us to keep our cool in the midst of struggle. Remember we were talking about those peaceful people. Think about the way our passage started for today in talking about Euodia and Syntyche. These women were embroiled in a feud. Evidently this must have been significant if Paul was able to be notified of it by messenger, then feels he must write regarding it. Remember, this is the true snail mail. No e-mail here. These are evidently women who were influential and very capable leaders who worked with Paul in Philippi. But yet they are in a bit of a disagreement. He appeals to the women to make peace, to seek unity. He also pleads with the people to be peacemakers. The Christ-followers of Philippi are to assist in the matter. Paul then goes on to describe being joyful, gentle, peaceful and prayerful. This isn’t coincidence. He didn’t just happen to write about these things after talking about the dispute. The people you want around in a tough time are people who exemplify peace, love, and prayer.
Isn’t it great to have someone around that can have and share peace in times of turmoil? This is what is meant by a peace that transcends all understanding. Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to have peace, but we find it and can share it with others because of the knowledge we have in the fact that Jesus is still the Savior and God is still keeping His eye on things. This peace of God is described as being able to guard our hearts and minds. That makes sense, right? Do you ever find that as you worry, you find more and more and more things to worry about? All of a sudden things are flooding at you and it isn’t long before you’re looking for ways to cope. You get bombarded by the anxieties that you face and then you start thinking about how great a stiff drink would be, or how much you long for the touch of a lover, or you desire a piece of cake… and a couple Twinkies… and a bag of Doritos… and a wheel of cheese. Do you see where I’m going with that? When we permit God to be God, He will give us peace and protect our minds from the temptations that follow being caught up in this world. We also become part of the solution as opposed to being a part of the problem.
Earlier we were talking about the way that peaceful and joyful people have a tendency to share that with others. Do you realize that this goes both ways? Emotions are a two-way track. Just as pleasant people can share their joy… anxious people, and angry people, and bitter people… can spread that as well. On Saturday Night Live, Rachel Dratch plays this character named Debbie Downer. She has this uncanny ability to turn every joyful and delightful event into anguish. I can only imagine what she would be like in a crisis situation!
Obviously her characterization is an exaggeration, but haven’t we all experienced something like this before? That foul tempered person can turn all of our joy into misery. Now imagine being in a crisis situation and think of someone who sees only pain and darkness coming into the situation… he/she only makes everything worse! We get further insight about this as we look at what Paul wrote to the Ephesians. In Ephesians 4:22-29 Paul writes,
22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old
self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the
attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in
true righteousness and holiness.
25Therefore each of you
must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all
members of one body. 26"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down
while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has
been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with
his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your
mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their
needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Put off the old self, put anger to rest, build each other up. We’ve all heard, “You are what you eat.” Have you ever heard the phrase “Garbage in, garbage out?” this is what we’re talking about today. What you let take place in your heart and mind, or what you let in to take residency there is what will eventually come out of you. We must be very careful about what we take in and how we live. In Proverbs 4:22-27 it says,
Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away
perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Make level
paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right
or the left; keep your foot from evil.
See? What we have in our heart is what will flow out of us as it is the wellspring of our life. What we hear, what we say, what we read, what we experience all seeps into us. The passage today says, “…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.” When you are thinking and experiencing what is right, true, noble, pure, and so on… that’s what is going to take root in your heart and what is going to be the overflow of your life. When you let God be God and when you let His peace dwell within you, you will experience peace, you will share peace, and you will be a peacemaker. You will “let your gentleness be evident to all.” Then, when we are in critical situations, we will be a source of peace to others because Christ is the source of our peace.
What kind of person are you? Do you make situations better or worse? Are you experiencing joy and peace? Do you share that with others? Or are you spreading the anxiety, fear, and anger that you carry with you? What is inside of you... inside your wellspring... that is waiting to come out?
posted by Gregg @ 9:02 PM
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