Tara-Leigh Cobble

He's been through the ringer.

And from that vantage point, he says, I've learned that there's only one thing that really matters.

Whether I'm rich or poor or regardless of what challenges or blessings I face, with Christ, I can endure all things.

He thanks them for helping provide for him in prison.

They've sent financial relief his way, and he's grateful because in this day, prisoners have to rely on their friends for provision.

There are some wealthy people in Philippi, like Lydia, but it's possible that some of the others may have been stretched to help send Paul resources.

These people have repeatedly been extra generous to Paul in ways that other churches haven't.

So he reminds them, just as you've provided for me, God is providing for you.

My God shot was in 4, 8-9, where Paul says, Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

If I put my thoughts through those filters, many of them will get stopped at the first one.

Is this true?

Lots of my thoughts are hypothetical problems or things I've created in my head, false fears.

So I use the truth filter to block them out.

They don't stand a chance against most of the other filters either.

But the gospel of Christ meets every criteria of what Paul says to think about.

True, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy.

It is all of those things and more.

That's why I'm so glad we're spending every day reminding our hearts to think about it.

God gets it into our brains first, then into our hearts, where it can be pumped out through all our blood vessels into every square inch of our body, where it can take root and bear fruit in things like rejoicing and gentleness and prayer and peace.

God is all those beautiful things, and by fixing our eyes and minds on who He is, our thoughts are filled with beauty.