Philippians 1-4
December 25 2014


I'm glad today's reading wasn't on gluttony.... way too much turkey, and dessert salads.   Merry Christmas!


This time as I read through Philippians I catch the word "rejoice" in several different places.  Paul even says "it's no problem for me to repeat this again to you" ...and then says it two or three more times.    He is suggesting that if they are rejoicing in Christ, they will experience power and unity.

One of my favorite passages is here, in Chapter 4 Paul says "whatever is noble, true, trustworthy....etc....think about such things"   I truly believe that our minds are transformed as we "train" them to think differently.  Just like a nut can be cross-threaded onto a bolt, and in so doing can ruin the bolt, our thoughts can be ruin our bodies if we don't keep them straight.   The devil attacks us on the thought level.  Then it moves to our heart, and eventually we speak it or act on it.  

In a recent Christmas eve service we encouraged the attendees to "insist on peace".   Our worship team leader shared the account of the WWI  "Christmas Truce" where men chose to see each other as human beings, instead of targets.   It didn't last past Christmas, and it never happened again, which is sad.   I think those men chose to think differently while they were hunched inside their trenches.  They chose to think of peace, and helping one another.  If the soldiers don't have an argument with each other why are we fighting in the first place?  To satisfy the lust for power of some crazed leader?   I wonder why we don't force our leaders to find a peaceful solution to our world problems...there must be some possible solution...if they felt they MUST find it.

Here in the United States it has been a time of significant turmoil.  We need to change the way we think.   We need to begin thinking about what is right, and true and lovely and pure.   This business of teaching people to hate each other, and to think less of one another has got to stop.


PR