Walking with Jesus

Read: Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things." I want to focus on true things: playing with my daughter, going for a run just to hear the LORD, the possibility of starting a new season in my life, hopes to move soon and return to school, the dream of teaching, the memory of last moments with close friends, the thrill of new discoveries, the knowledge that I am not alone in my convictions, the fact that I have food and a home, a glimpse of my beautiful nieces via webcam, godly men who will encourage and pray for me, a deepening walk with the Lord. I want to focus on the true things, but the world is so loud and so desperate to shout out the true with the false, the bad, the compromised, the fallen, the sensational, and the e...

Philippians 4:4 says, " Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" (NASB) The book of Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Philippi, the first European church mentioned in the book of Acts. That story occurs in Acts 16 . Paul and Silas had been visiting the churches established earlier when Timothy joined them. From there they wanted to take the gospel further into Asia, but God would not let them go. Instead, the Lord sent them across the Aegean Sea to Macedonia, which is in modern day Greece. They ended up in Philippi, a major city in the region and a Roman colony with almost no Jewish presence. Since there was no synagogue, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and (apparently) Luke went to a place of prayer along the river and shared the gospel with the women who met there. Some of them believed and a congregation of Christ-followers was established. You may remember the story of the slave girl with a spirit of divination who followed along af...