Fill your mind with such things

 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. philippians 4:8-9

Why does the author (Paul i think) ask us to think about such things? How does thinking about such things help us? He set himself as an example for other christians to follow, and thus we should also be an example for other christians as well. For if we cannot lead by example even among our fellow christians, how can we do so among unbelievers? I feel that being an example for the unbelievers, with all their tests and questions, surrounded by the temptations of the world, will be a roaring fire to challenge our faith as compared to the gentleness we experience among our brothers in church.

 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. philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always! Paul mentioned it in chap 3 and did so again in chap 4. I feel that he repeats it because it is so hard to accomplish, but so very important. How do you rejoice when all you feel is bitterness and stress? Rejoicing is not only putting on a smile even when u are sad, rather it is a genuine exultation of the heart, a gladness/lightness of spirit. How then can you do this when everything around you seems to be going wrong? What i do is that i start to count my blessings. That im healthy, that i have a family that loves me, that i have food and water to drink, shelter and a bed to sleep in. But then i realise, that these facts merely comfort me, i am grateful for them and i no longer feel so bitter and sad, but im not rejoicing. How then can i do this?


In order to answer this, we must think about the Lord and His purpose. What is the joy of Christ that differentiates us from unbelivers? "¹⁹Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. philippians 3:19" What is our goal, our great joy, as a follower and disciple of Christ? Our joy is that of our salvation. For we who are on earth, our goal is not to accumulate riches ( to satisfy our stomach/need), our glory is not in being stronger or better than others, and our minds should not be on earthly things, for our destiny is not destruction, but life in ressurection through Christ our Lord. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. philippians 3:10 Our purpose on earth is to have a relationship with God/Christ, to know more about him, to learn of his ideals and values, to try and follow and become more like him. Christ did not have an easy time on earth, he did not stay in rich establishments nor was he treated with honor or glory. His greatest triumph ( as i know it ) was in his death, the power of sin over Man was broken, and we were ransomed by his blood. Thus what i think Paul means in verse 10 is that suffering on earth gives us insight, a sense of kinship and understanding, of what Christ went through on earth ( sharing in his sufferings ) so that we might also become like him ( be triumphant ) and attain our salvation when He comes again.<Be careful! Paul also mentioned that salvation and righteousness is by faith and not deeds, I do not profess to understand this completely, and i welcome any instruction or thoughts that you might have.> But to go through trials and sufferings on earth is to have a little insight on what Christ/God went through when he came down to earth, and through it, we might understand Him a little better. I do not like suffering, to the contrary, im fearful of it. However it is an opportunity to increase in our faith, to refine our values, and to change our sinful natures to that of Christ's. For how can we test and increase in our faith if all our life is fine and good? Our muscles can only grow if we use it repetitively, and when there is resistance ( resistance training/weight training). Faith is our spiritual muscle, and trials and tests its resistance. If a sailor has never experienced turbulent weather, how can he acquire the skills to face a storm? Our character and values make us who we are, and they in turn are built, block by block, through our individual experiences in life. What will we do when our christian values are challanged? Will we buckle under the pressure or will we stand firm against the gale? Answering such questions build upon our moral integrity, just as Jesus Christ himself faced such dilemmas and came out stronger for it (satan testing him in the desert < turning stone into bread>, so will we. We are all born with a sinful nature, but walking through life with God is our opportunity to deny our sinful nature, and to develop a nature like His.  ²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. james 1:2-4  and ¹²Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. james 1:12 Do not be mistaken, for trials and temptations are not from God, rather
 ¹³When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
 ¹⁶Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. ¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. james 1:13-18

Life as a christian is never easy, but our prize waiting, and our path is set.
¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
 ¹⁵All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. ¹⁶Only let us live up to what we have already attained. philippians 312-16

What have we already attained in verse 16? We have already attained our salvation! But let us live up to it! It is an ongoing process, but remember, through it all, REJOICE!