The Whole Passage by @EmilyLaney

^“4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” – Phil 4:4-8

Did any of you do AWANA, Bible Drill, or other Bible memorization activities at church? I was AWANA’s all the way in Elementary school, I looked forward to our meetings every Wednesday. I’m so grateful for the foundation of scripture memorization that those activities encouraged in me and my friends. I have dozens of verses of scripture memorized and am able to remember the promises of God when I need encouragement.

The passage above from Philippians is one in which I’ve memorized each verse separately throughout my life. However, the other day in Bible Study I paused to reflect on these verses as a whole. What a powerful passage!

It’s one thing to say “Rejoice in the Lord always” and to “Be gentle” and to “not be anxious for anything”. Those verses are used by themselves a whole lot, usually to remind ourselves or a friend of things that God wants us to do. But have you ever been quoted verse four and felt that in your current circumstances that rejoicing was a lot easier said than done? I know I have.

These verses together, along with the rest of chapter four, paint a beautiful picture of grace and God’s supernatural ability to sustain us. Paul talks of contentment and the ability for us to do all things through Christ. I read through chapter four and just felt encouraged. The power of God’s word is so incredible and these verses together reminded me that focusing my mind on Christ, on things that are good, can help with contentment, can reduce anxiety, and can empower me to confidently do all things that Christ puts before me. It was what I needed to hear for the season, and it reminded me that when those favorite scripture verses pop in my head that maybe I should open God’s word and read the verses before and after it too. 

What favorite passage of scripture do you think of often? 

When was the last time that you read that chapter in its entirety? 

Emily Laney is a social worker, educator, and justice seeker.  She has worked with vulnerable populations in the United States and abroad and loves to help startup nonprofits reach their goals.  She is a Passion City Church door holder and leads a team of abolitionists at Not for Sale Georgia.   She loves her husband Brent and their rescue pup Biscuit. Sunsets and Sushi make her happy.

You can connect with Emily on twitter @emilylaney or on her blog www.emilylaney.com