This morning, I read some verses in Philippians 4. I noticed that there was a line of commands, followed by a promise, and sandwiched right in the middle of there was a 'random' statement. Here they are, so you can see what I mean:
-Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
-Let your moderation be known unto all men.
-The Lord is at hand.
-Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
-And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Maybe they could have been split up into more 'commands', but I let the periods be the breaking points. So the three commands are: Rejoice, be moderate (or more specifically, let your moderation be known), be careful for nothing (but let your requests... etc).
The promise if we do this is: The peace of God shall keep your hearts and minds.
And that statement: The Lord is at hand.
I don't know that I really know WHY this command is significant, but it seemed almost out of place to me. Obviously, it gives weight to these commands, it gives a reason for them. Our time here is short; the Lord is returning any day, therefore... But I don't know that I have a great understanding about it. It's just something that stuck out to me as I was reading, so I wrote it down in my journal and went on with my day thinking about it in the back of my mind.
Later, on my lunch break, I pulled out a book I've been reading, called What's It Like to be Married to Me? by Linda Dillow. It's a great book (I love reading marriage books... even though we haven't been married a year yet and our marriage isn't on the rocks or anything, it's still so encouraging to read books specifically written to wives and see ways that I can correct my attitude and be a better wife!)
But this is something that Linda wrote that caught my attention, especially in light of the verses I read this morning: "Your brain is a fabulous computer, capable of recording eight hundred memories per second for seventy-five years without ever getting tired. Amazing! God's Word says that what you feed into your mind will come out in your life (Prov. 23:7). So, if you go to a Sophisticated Venting Club and train your mind to think negative thoughts about your husband, if you meditate on all you don't like about him, if you fill your mind and heart with garbage about your man, garbage will be printed out - gripe, grumble, murmur, and vent will fill the pages of your life."
Isn't that kind of the whole point of these verses? Maybe not in the exact marriage application, but in the "you are what you think" application? For me to rejoice, for me to be moderate, for me to be careful for nothing but bring my requests to God with thanksgiving, it all starts with what I am thinking about. It all starts with my perspective (The Lord is at hand) and letting that permeate into my thoughts. That will effect these actions in my life (a natural by-product, you might say) and bring about the promise that God gives: peace that passes all understanding.
