4th March 2018 - JOY IN OUR THOUGHTS

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse”.  (Philippians 4:8)
 
Philippians is sometimes called “the letter of joy”; which is strange because Paul’s letter is also filled with things like imprisonment, jealousy, sickness, betrayal, spiritual danger and betrayal.  Joy, it seems, isn’t having perfect circumstances but rather enjoying God’s presence, love and power in our imperfect circumstances.  Even there, we can experience incredible joy.
 
In Philippians 4, Paul encourages us to nurture our relationship with God (and find joy) with joyful thinking.  He gives us some clues about dealing with anger, abolishing anxiety and focusing our thoughts on what’s positive and true.