This New Year we want to focus on dwelling in the Lord’s presence. But how do we do that? The Bible goes over what to do in Philippians 4:8, but what does Philippians 4:8 mean? Let’s dive into it together.
Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Let’s take a look at what it means to dwell on these things.
As we enter into the New Year, we want to dive into what God’s Will is for us. Join us as we look into what Philippians 4:8 means for us. Click To TweetHistorical Context of the Verse
The book of Philippians was originally written as a letter to the church of Philippi by Paul. The church of Philippi was founded by Paul on his second mission trip, but the answer of when exactly the book was written during Paul’s life is a little more up for debate.
The traditional answer is that it was written when Paul was imprisoned in Rome during Acts 28:30. Other scholars argue it was written during Paul’s time in Ephesus while he was ministering there. Finally, even more scholars have “argued for a Caesarean imprisonment.” For more information on the history of this book of the Bible, check out Bible.org.
The point of this book was for Paul to 1. Update the church on his imprisonment, 2. State what his plans were to be released, and 3. Address the discourse of the church at the time which had to do with unity and some false teachings that were floating around at the time. He also commended Timothy as well as thanking them for their concern for his health.
Excellent and Worthy
Now that we have given an overview of the history behind the book of Philippians, let’s talk about Philippians 4:8 specifically. Paul calls us to dwell on the things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and praiseworthy. In this passage, Paul says we need to focus on the good and honorable things in the world as opposed to the lies that Satan tries to weave into the world.
Real-Life Application
This year, this scripture is the focus of our church. We want to keep our thoughts on the things that please the Lord so we can be sure we are in His will. We should model our lives after Jesus Christ. That is what Paul was trying to impress upon the people of the Phillipi church. In turn, that is what we want to impress upon our church.
Follow God’s Will
Philippians 4:8 is a blueprint for how we as Christians should train our thoughts, and it is what we at ORBC will be focusing on for the year 2022.
Contact us for more information on Philippians 4:8 and other verses!
