Never Give Up
“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.“
Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
Our verse today encourages us to ponder thoughts that lift us up; to dwell on ideas that fill our hearts with joy; to picture the attributes of our Heavenly Father; to refresh our minds with His truth.
Think about how compassionate and faithful He is. How He is present, everywhere. How we can trust in His holiness, and His perfect justice. Just think how much He loves us. That He’s all-powerful, eternal, and unchanging. That we can look forward to being with Him forever.
As Paul says in Romans 8:18, “I am sure what we are suffering now cannot compare with the glory that will be shown to us.“ (CEV)
Jesus did this as He faced the cross. He kept the reward of His suffering in mind, in order to endure the agonies and humiliation He was about to experience. Hebrews 12:2 says, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (ESV)
He looked beyond the cross to see the eternal good that would come from it for His people.
“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!“ (Psalm 43:5 NLT)
Here is great wisdom for those who are weary under their load of sorrow. We need to work to control our thoughts. We need to think well (and accurately) on the wonderful things described in our verse today.
“Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.“ (Proverbs 12:25 NKJ)
Many believe that, if you’re a Christian, you shouldn’t get depressed, but Charles Spurgeon, the “Prince of Preachers“, suffered from depression and physical pain. He writes that he “suffered many times from severe sickness and frightful mental depression seeking almost to despair.“
While it isn’t wrong to get depressed, it is wrong to stop seeking God when we do. May you find a way today to bring all your thoughts captive to Christ as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5 “…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (NIV)
“Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.“ (Romans 8:39 ESV)
“Glory be to God for the furnace, the hammer and the file. Heaven shall be all the fuller of bliss because we have been filled with anguish here below; and earth shall be better tilled because of our training in the school of adversity.“ Charles Spurgeon