THE BEAUTY AND POWER OF BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES:

THE BEAUTY AND POWER OF BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES:
Wings To Make Us Fly Over The Mountains
Lights To Ward Off The Insistent Darkness
Truth To Help Us Navigate Through Dark Thoughts
Food To Last Our Entire Wilderness Sojourn
Except when otherwise indicated “Scripture is taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.”

Phil 4:1 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. 2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. 3 Indeed, true comrade, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 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, let your mind dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you. 10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 14 Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. 15 And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; 16 for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. 17 Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. 18 But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. 19 And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
NASB

King David, more than most people, understood the sublime majesty of the Word, its penetrating and cleansing impact, it life-changing qualities and its absolute necessity in the life of the believer. The Word of God has a greatness and quality of vast magnitude far beyond arguments and comparison.

The Word established David’s moral boundaries: Ps 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. David looked into the Word to examine the purity of his heart: Ps 119:11 Thy word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against Thee. He understood that during moments of deep anguish and sense of loss and meaninglessness, his revival would come through the Word: Ps 119:25 My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Thy word. When weeping was too deep for the body to do and the soul takes up the groaning and weeping that comes with a soul-battering pain, David understood that the renewal of his strength would come through the Word. Ps 119:28 My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Thy word.

Expressing his utmost joy of knowing the Word of God and his utter blessedness in having access to God through His Word, David states: Ps 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them Thy servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.

David understood the nature and benefits we derive from the Word of God. From its pages, the Word of god provides us with:

Wings To Make Us Fly Over The Mountains
Lights To Ward Off The Insistent Darkness
Truth To Help Us Navigate Through Dark Thoughts
Food To Last Our Entire Wilderness Sojourn


DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE WHAT YOU CAN DO. THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING.
Phil 4:13. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Simple but majestic, the verse presents three (3) gems that were his but also ours to enjoy: First: Our unusual God-given ability: We can do all things. Second: The explanation for this unusual God-given ability: It is through Jesus Christ. Third: The secret is that the Lord is giving him strength. This was not an ability unique only to Paul. I’m sure he was stating a truth that can and should be applied in the life of every believer: A believer can do all things which means nothing in this world can really defeat him. He points to the Lord as the reason for his ability (Though Him) and he explains what the Lord does to him: strengthens me. Watch the language again: It does not say: He STRENGTHENED me or He WILL strengthen me. “Strengthens” indicates a continuing provision of strength for whatever situation one is facing in life. You have the Lord Jesus with you. What more proof do you need that you can make (KAYA MO YAN) it and that you will, in the end, rise above your troubles and enjoy the glory of victory. Repent if you have been having self-pity. Tell God you are grateful for the guaranteed victory. Have a lively prayer conversation with Him.

IT’S BEYOND ANY ARGUMENT: ONE SECRET OF A CONTENDED LIFE IS TO HAVE PEOPLE YOU WILL ALWAYS LONG TO SEE.
Phil. 4:1 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved
Paul was living at a time of affliction and great difficulty. He goes through life, day after day with all the uncertainties he faced but his mind and heart were focused on people he calls “my beloved brethren, whom I long to see, my joy and crown.” Without someone to love or care for, life can become bland and tasteless to the soul. The hardship of the moment becomes bearable because you know that soon you will see someone or do something good for others you love.

Paul had a number of good partnerships with but his relationship with the Philippians was a very special one. They were the ones he longed to see- in Tagalog one would say- “pinanabikan kong makita.” Find out the identities of people whose presence can make you smile with satisfaction, sit with serenity and lean back with an unworried confidence. Find out who these people are who can boost your confidence, soothe your emotions, calm the raging waves of doubts and extinguish the burning fire of rage. Who are the people you long to see? This can be a spouse, a son or daughter, a parent, a potential life-partner and the like. But Paul was referring to another group: Spiritual people with whom you can find shelter in times of stress, comfort in times of loneliness, guidance in times of difficult journey; in other words, people of God who long to see you and you also long to see. This was one of Paul’s secrets. Is it yours now? Ask God to bring to you the people who can best guide you, make you strong and walk with you even through the valley of the shadow of death.

HARSH AS IT MAY SEEM, ANXIETY IS A CHOICE
AND A RESULT OF LIMITED SELF DISCIPLINE.
Phil. 4:6. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Paul was a very gifted man. His primary gift was in the area of making us understand the sometimes not so easy to understand spiritual principles. Here he tells us of the principles on anxiety. How simple and how relevant these are. He tells us two important principles involved in dealing with anxiety.

The first is that anxiety is a choice. He says “Be anxious for nothing.” The reality is that there are many things in this world that can make us anxious. But knowing all these anxiety-generating issues, Paul says: “Be anxious for nothing.” It’s a way of saying, “Be aware of what you need and what you do not have but don’t let it worry you. Knowing about a need and worrying about it are two different issues.” He is saying, if something is worrisome, decide not to worry. But how? Does it sound as simple as it seem to be? Here is the second principle.

You cannot successfully NOT WORRY if you do not have a substitute activity. He says: “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” It means that the primary antidote to anxiety is thanksgiving. Count your blessings. Count how many people are close to you. Examine how God has been so good to you. Then out of this thanksgiving, proceed to tell God your requests. Here then is the process of overcoming anxiety: First, affirm that although many things in life are worrisome but you WILL NOT WORRY ABOUT THESE. Second, Be grateful to God for all the signs of His goodness. Third: Tell God your requests. The result is that you will not be anxious and you can pray effectively Tell God you are grateful. Count your blessings. Then tell Him about every issue that is bothersome, difficult and oppressing to you.

YES, REJOICING IS A CHOICE. SO DECIDE
Phil. 4:4. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
Most people rejoice as a reaction to a nice experience. That is rejoicing as a response to an event. Paul is talking about a rejoicing that is a matter of choice and one that becomes a part of daily life. Of course it is true that it is not easy to rejoice if we do not know of a reason to be happy.

The secret of rejoicing is not so much that there is something too wonderful and too extraordinary that has happened to you. The secret really is the realization that the Lord is with you and that He is deeply involved with your life. That is why Paul does not only say rejoice; he says rejoice IN THE LORD! One who is very close to the Lord won’t have a difficulty rejoicing. So, develop your relationship with Lord as a believer. It can make the difference whether you will be happy or not. Tell God why He is important to you. Then pray for others. If this becomes a habit, you will note that rejoicing becomes easier to do.

BRINGING JOY TO SOMEONE BRINGS JOY TO YOU.
THE JOY-GIVER IS ALSO A JOY-RECEIVER
Phil. 4:10. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity
Paul talks about his own experience of joy. He says: “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly.” The reason for this is quite simple: “you have revived your concern for me.” Sometimes we miss the spiritual truth that an act of kindness can generate joy in the heart of the one who was the recipient of your kindness. “You have revived your concern for me” Is it possible that there is someone who will be gifted with happiness through your kindness?

Don’t let this day pass without doing something good or saying something good to someone. Make someone happy today by showing an act of kindness and concern. God can use you to make others happy. Ask God to lead you so that you can help others the right way, at the right time and with the right kind of help.

PEACEMAKER AND HARMONY ENHANCER” ARE YOU?
Phil. 4:2. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. 3 Indeed, true comrade, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
We do not know a lot about Eudia and Synthyche. From the reading, it appears like they were mature and hard working missionaries with Paul. But, something had happened and Eudia and Syntyche had a relationship that lacked harmony. It had gotten so bad that Paul had to ask the Philippians to help these women be reconciled to and with each other.

The story of Eudia and Syntyche reminds us that there is a great need to look into and to maintain harmony in the Christian community or home. Disharmony happens even to the very mature. But it should not be allowed to linger. If this problem is happening in your case, do something bout it. Don’t wait too long. Pray for others who have, at one time or another, have hurt you. Prayerlessness breeds anger and a desire to exact revenge.

RUNNING OUT OF SUPPLY (BLESSINGS), WHY?
SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME
Phil. 4:19. And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
It is so easy to misread many verses in the Bible. This is one of the most misread and misinterpreted parts of the Bible. We all like the part which says: God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory…” The truth is that based on actual observation, many Christians are running out of supply. They do not seem to receive regular supplies from God. Why? The verse before this helps us understand what this is all about.

Paul confirms that he has received supplies from the Philippians. It must have been difficult for them to do this. To those who were faithful in supplying others, especially those in the ministry, God will supply them also and provide for all these needs. It’s simple really: One who is generous in helping others will also received generous help from God. So don’t miss the point. Bless and you will be blessed.
Ask God to help you bless others. Then ask for wisdom as to how you should help others because you know the principle: As you supply, you will be supplied.