…Whatever things are lovely…

Have you ever felt weary? I don’t mean from working too hard or not sleeping enough. But with the things in life that seem to be a constant battle. I have found that if we don’t focus our attention on God and draw from His strength continually, we will inevitably become weary and our hope may slip away.

So how do we combat this? Simple. We get our eyes off of ourselves and onto Jesus. I came across a quote by John VandenOever the other day that has stuck in my mind. He says, “When we lift Jesus up, high above our troubles, we replace disappointment, fear and death with peace, faith, and life.”

In other words, instead of focusing on our problems, which only produces burdens of worry, robbing us of our joy, let’s do what we and all of creation were made to do: Lift up the name of Jesus!

Our problems, no matter how big, pale in comparison to whom He is and what He has done for us. One glimpse of the cross should dispel any doubt. Philippians 4:8 is an excellent tool to help us refocus our thoughts:

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, (Jesus is true) whatever things are noble, (Jesus is noble) whatever things are just, (Jesus is just) whatever things are pure, (Jesus is pure) whatever things are lovely, (Jesus is lovely) whatever things are of good report, (The gospel) if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- (Jesus!) meditate on these things.” (Emphasis added)

So the next time you find yourself heavy laden, and all you have in you is the strength to say His name, be of good cheer…His name is all you need.

Dina Pugh