A member of the church of Philippi following in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul, figuratively and literally. Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
“Whatever 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 4:9 NIV
I have often wondered what it must have been like to be one of the early Christians receiving letters of teaching and encouragement from the Apostle Paul. These beautifully written and powerful epistles reach to us over 2,000 years later and are still instructive in developing understanding of the Gospel.
This verse comes from the last chapter of Paul’s epistle to the church at Philippi, shortly after a closing appeal for the church to be steadfast in faith and united in love, followed by a final list of exhortations to the members to focus their minds on things that build up their faith:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.”
Paul’s words in today’s verse are fairly straightforward — he’s telling them to change their thinking to those things that are good.
The Bible Says had this wonderful explanation of the content of verse 9:
Paul now adds another admonition, after providing these things for the Philippians to dwell on. He tells them to practice The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. The Philippians had learned and received from Paul's teaching. Paul exhorts them to cling to that teaching, and follow it. They had also seen in Paul his own application of his teaching. Paul exhorts them to follow his example. Paul was incredibly transparent. He says here "What I am telling you is what I do." It is quite a testimony to Paul's integrity.
Paul had been in Philippi in AD 49 or 50 on his third missionary trip, founding the church (which, by the way, was the first European church) and providing training and support to the church leaders and members. They had “learned and received and heard from” Paul, and “seen” with their own eyes how he lived his life in Christ. Here he’s asking them to follow in his footsteps to live a Christian life.
Paul asks them to not only follow his example, but to “put it into practice”. In other words, “don’t just read or listen to what I’m saying, but do the things I’ve encouraged you to do and that I do myself”.
Think about today’s churches: How many people spend their time in church on Sunday, perhaps listening intently to the pastor’s sermon and maybe even taking notes (many of the flock at our church are note-takers), but then spend the rest of the week “in the world” and not living what they’ve supposedly learned. Putting what we’ve learned from sermons, Bible studies, devotionals, podcasts and classes into practice is what many of us neglect to do!
How do you put “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy” into practice? It’s work… but putting in that work will have tangible results.
The first step would be to create a habit to pause before reacting to whatever comes into your mind. Perhaps it’s an opinion, a fear, a temptation, or an impulse to take revenge. STOP, and ask yourself if that thought or feeling is true (are you guessing or exaggerating?), noble (is it dignified?), right or morally “clean”, pure in motive and desire, lovely and gracious (would verbalizing this thought characterize the love of Jesus?), or admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy (does this thought build others up or tear them down?).
Going through a mental checklist like this probably isn’t going to work (who can remember all of these things?)… but perhaps just pausing before acting on that thought will keep a sin from happening.
Another way is to capture that thought and think of a better thought. If you’re not sure something is true, think about what evidence you may actually have or how others might interpret it. Is it right? Ask yourself how love and honesty would shape your actions. If your thoughts aren’t pure, replace them with a boundary that keeps you from trespassing. And if you’re thinking of something that would anger others (not very admirable, replace that thought with a response that others would respect.
For those of us who live in this media-oriented age, making decisions about what our brains “feed” on is a relatively easy way to change our thinking to a way Jesus and Paul would approve of. Don’t randomly click or tap on apps or links — think about whether or not that video, comment stream, or app will produce thoughts that are “true, pure, lovely and admirable”. If it doesn’t, unsubscribe, hide, unfollow, or mute, and replace that content with something that trains your brain to think of more “praiseworthy” things. (Personal note: I have deleted apps that were causing me spiritual heartburn, and I’m unsubscribing much more frequently from online groups or discussions that anger me. So I am learning…)
When you get a thought that reflects one of Paul’s list of virtues from Philippians 4:8, put it into action, and soon! That’s the transformational power of Christ at work. Our verse today is all about believers emulating Jesus as Paul did, and there are a few good ways to train your mind to do this.
First, become so familiar with Scripture that it “reprograms” your thinking. The fact that you’re reading these devotionals is a good start.
Next, when you’re faced with something and the Holy Spirit is creating conflict in you, pray. It doesn’t need to be something ornate or lengthy, maybe just a “Lord, direct my heart and mind to do what is right”.
Finally, if you get into one of those anxious or angry spirals of worry or hate, stop and replace it with prayer or thoughts of Paul’s list of virtues. Your mind learns to follow patterns you set by praise and obedience. Surround yourself with others who are living examples of Christ in action, as you may very well find yourself emulating them.
I loved this paragraph from Precept Austin:
Notice all the present imperatives used by Paul in calling the saints to follow his example, imitating him by practicing or becoming doers of the Word of God. This is not to be a momentary emotional response but is to become the saints way of life. Are you imitating Paul who imitated Jesus? That is REAL CHRISTIANITY! This is disciples making disciples and living the supernatural Christ life in the power of and dependence on the indwelling Spirit of Christ. Our English word "practice" has a similar connotation for we speak of a doctor as having a practice, because his profession maintains a normal routine. Christians are to make it their practice to lead godly, obedient lives.
The end result of this practice? “The peace of God will be with you.” This devotional is longer than I expected it to be… and I’ll end it with words from my favorite preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon:
IT is well when a man can with advantage be so minutely copied, as Paul might have been. Oh, for grace to imitate him this day and every day! Should we, through divine grace, carry into practice the Pauline teaching, we may claim the promise which is now open before us; and what a promise it is! God, who loves peace, makes peace, and breathes peace, will be with us. “Peace be with you” is a sweet benediction; but for the God of peace to be with us is far more. Thus we have the fountain as well as the streams, the sun as well as his beams. If the God of peace be with us, we shall enjoy the peace of God which passeth all understanding, even though outward circumstances should threaten to disturb. If men quarrel, we shall be sure to be peacemakers, if the Maker of peace be with us. It is in the way of truth that real peace is found. If we quit the faith or leave the path of righteousness under the notion of promoting peace, we shall be greatly mistaken. First pure, then peaceable, is the order of wisdom and of fact. Let us keep to Paul’s line, and we shall have the God of peace with us as He was with the apostle.
Amen!
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the teachings of Paul and ask for Your assistance in applying what I have learned from him to my daily life. Guide my thoughts and actions so I may always reflect Your love and wisdom, and may Your peace be with me as I strive to live according to Your will. I pray this in Jesus’ name, AMEN.
Thank you for this Steve. My teen son has challenged me to recognize that I have been pessimistic and that it's not God's will. I am trying to put Philippians 4:8 into practice.