i have a choice...

there is a small four chapter book over in the middle of the nt that has some truth that is very relevant to the day in which we live. here is the way it starts (ms), paul and timothy, both of us committed servants of CHRIST JESUS, write this letter to all the followers of JESUS in philippi, pastors and ministers included. we greet you with the grace and peace that comes from GOD our FATHER and our MASTER, JESUS CHRIST. those are the first 2 verses of chapter 1 of philippians.

now the apostle paul writes it with his helper timothy and he tells us a lot about himself and his life. it is personal. it deals with a lot of the problems in life that we all face everyday. it is practical but most of all philippians is a positive book. you will find the words joy or rejoice or be glad seventeen different times in this book. paul in this book deals with how to be joyful in spite of circumstances, in spite of problems. something that is good for us to see today.

many of you are going through some tuff stuff and as you apply the truths in this book your perspective on your tuff stuff will change. you will be different.

in the first chapter, paul starts right off talking about people back in philippi to whom he is writing this letter. in verse 3 (ms) he says, every time you cross my mind, i break out in exclamations of thanks to GOD.

there is one thing i haven't told you yet that may show you a different perspective about this man paul and his attitude. he is writing this letter from prison and he is choosing to remember the good things about these people, to focus on the good times they've had, to remember the positive experiences and not focus on the bad.

here is another fact that will help you to see what paul was like. paul did not have an easy time in philippi. acts 16 tells us the background of this story.

when he went to philippi he was arrested illegally, whipped, humiliated, thrown in prison. while in prison there was an earthquake. he was asked to leave town. paul did not have a good time in philippi, he had a bad time. yet he says, when i think of you i remember the good things. every time you cross my mind, i break out in exclamations of thanks to GOD.

i'm sure you would agree that paul had every right to dwell on the negative. he could have remembered the painful memories. but he chose not to remember the painful but to focus on the things he could be grateful for.

maybe you have, in your past, been hurt by a parent or a partner and maybe you're still holding on to that hurt. so as a result you can't enjoy them today. you're still focusing on the bad and the negative.

listen. be grateful for the good in people. pleasant memories are a choice. i can choose what i'm going to remember about the past.

just some thoughts from the front porch...