Scripture
8And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Paul’s Thanks for Their Gifts
10How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. 11Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13For I can do everything through Christ,[1] who gives me strength. 14Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.
15As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 17I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.
18At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. 19And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
20Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen.
Paul’s Final Greetings
21Give my greetings to each of God’s holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. 22And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar’s household.
23May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.[2]
Translation notes (2)
- 4:13 Greek through the one.
- 4:23 Some manuscripts add Amen.
8And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
It seems that more people than ever before are struggling with anxiety. While people credit the reasons for this rise in anxiety to a number of things, one thing is sure: the enemy is working to keep us anxious, afraid, and frozen in fear. The enemy wants us to focus on our anxieties so that we stop living with joy and making an impact for Christ and His kingdom. If we want to fight against anxiety, we need to shift our mindset and start thinking about things that bring us peace. We often need this perspective shift to let go of anxiety and find a lifeline of hope.
Shifting our mindset during anxiety sounds simple but can be very difficult. The apostle Paul gives us an example in Philippians 4 to help us change our mindsets when anxiety threatens to take over. After instructing readers not to worry, he writes, "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise" (verse 8). Paul calls us to change our mindsets to combat anxiety by focusing on things that are true, lovely, excellent, praiseworthy, and more. We will have difficulty feeling anxious or worried when we focus on these things. Focusing on these things does not mean ignoring the difficult circumstances we are walking through. It means we shift our focus so that our difficulties and anxieties are not the only things we think about. It means we find hope by looking at the true, lovely, excellent, and praiseworthy things around us.
When all we are staring at is our fear and worry, anxiety takes over. When we shift our perspective to things that bring us hope, peace, and joy, anxiety loosens its grip on us. When it comes to your worries and anxieties, what if you decided to shift your focus? What if you decided to focus on the things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise, even when walking through things that bring worry? We would be people filled with peace and hope, even in the middle of trials and hardships.
Moving toward action
In your journal or on a piece of paper, write down Philippians 4:8. Then, make a list with the words true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise. Next, write down things that fit into each category you have written. As you go throughout your day, focus on these things on your list. Let God's goodness and His gifts be your focus, even in the middle of your difficulties.
Going Deeper
Philippians 4:8-23
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