What's good? What's really good?

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.

Anxiety is strong in our culture. Some people seem to breathe it. Some seem to live to create it. There's no shortage of people trying to tell you how to manage it or understand it or get rid of it - and that can make you anxious too - trying to figure out who to listen to.

In his short letter to the believer in Philippi, Paul encouraged them to keep their eyes on Jesus and what God was/is doing for us through him - and nothing else. Don't look to your religious pedigree, your past successes, or anything else - just keep focused on the good things from God.

That can be tough to figure out. I think that's why Paul gave them a list of things to really think about. I mean really think through. What IS true? What IS lovely? I might be wrong, but I am pretty sure people don't agree on just those two items out of Paul's list, seen above.

As I write this, I've just quickly scanned the early morning news and weather and see that another large event has occurred in politics and some people believe that it is the best thing they've seen happen in a long time and others believe it is a sign of the end of everything and maybe the start of a war.

People don't agree on a lot on the surface. And yet, at a deeper level, they do. Usually it's the people who sell us things by manipulating information that keep us disagreeing and keep us off balance, never quite able to chill out for a few minutes and collect our thoughts from a deeper pool.

Think about how many people are surrounded by blessings and yet only see the worst and/or how their blessings need maintenance or will likely need to be replaced and/or how some blessings keep them from enjoying other blessings, etc.  It's a vicious cycle.

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Paul wrote his whole letter helping the Philippians see and remember how good they've got it. 

And keep in mind, none of them ever had a hot shower - ever. 

Most of them never traveled, on average, more than 10-20 miles from where they were born. 

None of them had a flush toilet or a grocery store.

None of them ever had coffee. Ever.

And yet, he wanted them to remember all the amazing things God has already and permanently done of their behalf and to let that awareness and knowledge shape how they see life, love other people - even their most frustrating people, and how they can relax in the presence of a God who never leave them.

Why? Why didn't he talk at length about church and going to church and other churchy things?  Why didn't he talk about reaching out to the lost all the time? Why didn't he talk about their great youth and family ministry there in Philippi? Why not talk about their food pantry or how the Roman king was a jerk?

Why didn't Paul talk to them about things we'd likely think he'd want them to think about, if you listened to what we talk about in a lot of churches these days? 

And yet he didn't. They had similar problems in their culture as we do in our time, yet Paul's solution was different than ours by a long shot.

Paul wanted them to change what they focused on. Don't think about how someone did or didn't do some religious thing, think about God already and permanently did for you. 

Don't think about your poor circumstances like others do, think about how God might be using where and when you are for good, regardless of how good or bad you think your place in life is.

Don't listen to or think about people who are always doing "religious" comparisons, pointing out what you have not "done for God" or some area they want you to believe you lack in - instead, think about what God has already and permanently done for you and how you lack nothing.

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It really is a tougher thing to wrap your mind around that you might imagine - to develop and think about a list of good thing that are actually good and not relatively good, based on someone's idea of what's good. And yet that's what Paul tells them to spend their time doing.

I don't know how many times I've been around well meaning religious people who want to make sure I remember that I lack something they want me to buy into. Or maybe they want me to help others buy into that others are lacking and it's on me - me lacking again - to do God's work to help them buy into it.

I am so rarely around people who want me to know God is good with me and I am good with God. 

So few who will say, "Wow, have you thought about all God has already done for you and me?" 

So few who point out how we can relax and not be anxious because God himself is near us, as we speak!

And yet, that's just about all Paul talked about all through his letter to the believers there in Philippi - quit thinking about anything you lack, quit comparing spiritual resumes with others - "I'd win! Mine is better than any of yours!" Paul would say - and then he'd say, "And yet it is crap compared to knowing Jesus."

And that's probably the rub. 

I think we struggle with rejoicing in Jesus over any of our issues in life because we sometimes don't really know Jesus. 

We know church stuff. We know political stuff. We know some trivial stuff.

We know stuff we like currently, but we struggle with the idea that God, in Jesus, is better than anything else. 

Like, for real.

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So, for real - maybe we need to spend a little more time reflecting on the goodness of God. 

Paul didn't live a high end lifestyle of comfort and fame. 

If you read through 2 Corinthians, you realize he struggled with depression and the harshness of what he was experiencing on the regular.

And yet he had learned - as he says here in Philippians - he had learned the secret of contentment.  

He had learned how to be okay living in plenty AND living in deep need or lack.

I want to lean on that a lot - Paul had learned...

He wasn't zapped with a contentment gun or slapped with "Holy Spirit fire" or some other stupid thing we'd say in some churches.

Paul had learned.

What'd he learn?

Go learn it.

Start with what he says to the people in Philippi about what he'd learned.

I could just tell you, but it'll mean a lot more and last a lot longer if you learn it.

And the only hint I'll give is that it's not an "it" that you'll be learning.

Grace and peace.