For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

4:9   What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me–practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Paul is recapping his previous teaching here and laying responsibility on the believer for his level of joy in the Lord.

Since verse 4 – Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice, Paul has been laying out certain Christian practices that he has written down for the believers, and here testifies that these practices are not merely theoretical. He has lived these practices in front of the believers; the church themselves witnessing the outworking of the practice of prayer, and the filtering of Paul’s thought life.

Prayer and the inner life. Paul speaks of how his witness was fully evident to the Philippians. They had learned of his lifestyle and dedication. They had received of his ministry. They had heard of his sacrifice. And finally, they had seen how God had worked in his person. He was a believer that practiced what he preached, and out of that practice, no one could deny the evidence!

One final item on this short passage from Philippians 4:8-9. Prior to his expression of gratitude for the Philippians gift, he provides the promise of the presence of God with them as they practice these disciplines.

In the midst of this promise, Paul defines our God as the God of peace. The God of peace will be with those who practice these things.

Are you struggling with peace in your life? Do you have a sense of upheaval and stress? Back in verse 7, after an admonition to prayer, speaks of the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds. In this verse, we are offered the God of peace to be with us.

The peace of God and the God of peace! In the midst of an admonition for the believer to pray and think properly, Paul gives us great encouragement to practice the disciplines of prayer and Christian thinking.

May the Lord help us in our lives to honor Him and to follow after the commands Paul provides us for our good!

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