A GUIDE TO HIGHER LIVING
By Pastor Timothy Burdick
“Finally,
brothers, 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... and the God of peace
will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9)
What does your life consist
of? Are you happy with the way things have
turned out in your life or do you have
broken dreams; unsatisfied longings and
goals that have never been met? While we all
have frustrations about things we have and
have not done, seeing yourself regularly in
the latter category can lead to self imposed
limitations. Let me share some good news
with you and tell you how the rest of your
life can be the best of your life. You don’t
have to live a defeated existence.
What are you allowing into
your mind? Are you measuring yourself by
what others say, or are you measuring by
what God says in his Word? Most of us are to
preoccupied with the former way of looking
at our lives. I heard a saying once that
went something like this: "People wouldn’t worry as much about what others thought
of them if they realized how little they
did."
On the other hand, Scripture
tells us that God is continually thinking
about His children. He knows that things may
look bleak now, but yet He is saying as you
study his Word, “I am always beside you,
don’t give up, just draw on My peace and
strength."
You may ask, “How do I think
about "whatever is
true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable..." when things
are collapsing all around me? One idea might
be to prayerfully meditate deeply on
Philippians 4:8, and as you respond to what
it says, you will see things from a new
perspective. Things won’t change overnight
and sometimes might even seem to get worse,
but the Bible says that Satan is a "thief," trying to steal the victory that God has
for you. In contrast to this, the same Bible
says that God wants for you to live a life
of joy and contentment. Who are you going to
listen to? While it might seem easier just
to give up in the short term, if you do it
will cost you more in the long run and you
will be missing out on God’s best. It's time
for us all to think about the good things
that come from God and find His "peace." It's what we need for higher living.
