HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1445
PHIL IPPIANS 4
page 1075
reached perfection. But I press on to possess
that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters,
I have not achieved it,* but I focus on this one
thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward
to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end
of the race and receive the heavenly prize for
which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
— promises —
from God
For I can do everything
through Christ,
who gives me strength.
P H I L I P P I A N S 4:1 3
15 Let
all who are spiritually mature agree on
these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must
hold on to the progress we have already made.
17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your
lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often
before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes,
that there are many whose conduct shows they
are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They
are headed for destruction. Their god is their
appetite, they brag about shameful things, and
they think only about this life here on earth.
20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord
Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting
for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take
our weak mortal bodies and change them into
glorious bodies like his own, using the same
power with which he will bring everything
under his control.
4
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters,*
stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to
see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the
crown I receive for my work.
Words of Encouragement
2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please,
because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner,*
to help these two women, for they worked hard
with me in telling others the Good News. They
worked along with Clement and the rest of my
co-workers, whose names are written in the
Book of Life.
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it
again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are
3:13 Some manuscripts read not yet achieved it. 4:1 Greek
brothers; also in 4:8. 4:3 Or loyal Syzygus. 4:5 Greek the
Lord is near. 4:13 Greek through the one.
considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord
is coming soon.*
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray
about everything. Tell God what you need, and
thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will
experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard
your hearts and minds as you live in Christ
Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one
final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true,
and honorable, and right, and pure, and
lovely, and admirable. Think about things that
are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received
from me—everything you heard from me and
saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be
with you.
Paul’s Thanks for Their Gifts
10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned
about me again. I know you have always been
concerned for me, but you didn’t have the
chance to help me. 11 Not that I was ever in
need, for I have learned how to be content with
whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost
nothing or with everything. I have learned the
secret of living in every situation, whether it
is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty
or little. 13 For I can do everything through
Christ,* who gives me strength. 14 Even so, you
have done well to share with me in my present
difficulty.
15 As you know, you Philippians were the only
ones who gave me financial help when I first
brought you the Good News and then traveled
• Prayer
PHI LI PPI A N S 4:4-7
Conventional wisdom preaches that security is having enough money invested for a
comfortable retirement, enough insurance
to cover any calamity, and a home security
system to ward off would-be vandals or
thieves. All these things are good, but they
don’t bring real peace of mind and heart.
We still lie awake wondering what will happen if the market collapses or what we will
do if the spot on the imaging scan is cancer. According to this passage, the primary
result of prayer is not necessarily healing
or miraculous provision, but peace. When
you feel anxiety, fear, or insecurity, remember Paul’s encouragement to “pray about
everything.” Trust God to guard your heart
and mind with a supernatural and inexplicable peace.