4 Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice!
5 Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do. Remember that the Lord is coming soon.
6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank him for his answers.
7 If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing:
Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right.
Think about things that are pure and lovely,
and dwell on the fine, good things in others.
Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.
9 Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians chapter 4
(The Living Bible)
The 20th century song-writer Bill Gaither put it this way:
Something beautiful, something good
All my confusion He understood
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife
But he made something beautiful of my life
If there ever were dreams
That were lofty and noble
They were my dreams at the start
And hope for life's best were the hopes
That I harbored down deep in my heart
But my dreams turned to ashes
And my castles all crumbled, my fortune turned to loss
So I wrapped it all in the rags of life
And laid it at the cross.
Something beautiful, something good
All my confusion He understood
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife
But he made something beautiful of my life
By Bill Gaither, 1971 |
