One day I was talking to my mom on the phone and she said, “I need you to write me a song about Philippians 4:8.” So I did. The end!
Haha, I’m just kidding, that’s only part of the story! When my mom asked me to write the song I didn’t take it lightly. I knew that if I was going to write anything coming from Scripture it had to come from a place of learning what it meant for myself first. So I started to study. I read all the different translations of the verse, and thought about what it really means to “think about these things.”
The Message puts Philippians 4:8-9 this way:
“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”
I feel like the world would be a much better place if we could all live out these verses. Don’t you? The main reason my mom and I were talking about the verse was because of our daily struggle with negative thought patterns. You see, I have been a Christian since I was 5 years old. Somehow, I had picked up this bad habit of thinking that since I grew up in the church that I had all the answers for right and wrong. But, as I read these verses, God began to show me that I only assumed to know His Word. I didn’t actually know it. Ouch! God began to show me how much I had taken His Word for granted. I assumed to know who Jesus was and why He did what He did. I assumed that other people automatically should know how to live and do things because I had been taught them since my earliest memories. However, negativity and a judgmental heart had crept in, because I had filled my mind with things that were not from His Word. I had begun to look at the world through the eyes of the world, instead of through the eyes of the One Who created it. I am so grateful for the challenge my mom gave me of writing this song, because it was one of the ways God used to open my eyes to the excitement of reading His Word for myself.
Often, God uses a variety of ways to teach me something new. During that same time of feeling convicted about my assumptions of knowing God’s Word, I heard a sermon about fasting. God used it to change my life and the way I do things. Fasting is a Biblical practice of setting something aside in order to pray and seek God. There are many examples of fasting in the Bible, most having to do with not having food and/or water for a set amount of time. It is the practice of giving up something that we think we can’t live without, and trusting God to provide what we really need. It is a practice in laying aside our desires in order to seek God’s desires. In this particular sermon, we were challenged to pray about what we might need to fast from in order to deepen our relationship with God. By the end of the sermon, I knew from what I needed to fast. Media! You see, in the previous months, I had begun to fill my mind with all kinds of main stream podcasts, videos, movies, TV shows, even books, that (although were not evil in themselves) were keeping me from filling my mind with truth. I was using media as a distraction from life, a way to disengage and “veg out.” I think I was assuming that if I had done my five minutes of quiet time, that I was good for the day and deserved some down time. But, God showed me that what was coming out of my life was a direct reflection of what I was putting into my mind.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
I started the renewal process by replacing what I was putting into my mind with God’s Word. If I was going to listen to a podcast or music, I would replace it with listening to the Bible on my “Holy Bible” app or to podcasts of sermons. If I was going to watch a show, I would get out my physical Bible and read instead. It was really a time of getting back to the basics and re-learning all those things I thought I had learned as a kid. But, this time, I was learning straight from the Word of God. I continue to be surprised at the things I thought I knew about the Bible. I couldn’t begin to try and be an expert, but I truly have learned so much more about Who Jesus is and how to be more like Him.
This journey has challenged me in my faith, and truly deepened my relationship with the Lord. I think I used to believe that God only spoke to certain people through His Word. I always thought that Bible study teachers were the ones who could understand the Bible, and I was just supposed to learn from them. That was another, totally false, assumption. I have learned that God is willing to draw near to anyone who is earnestly seeking to draw near to Him, like it says in James 4:8, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” As I have begun to add some media back into my life, I am much more careful about the things I choose to let into my mind. More importantly, I am much more ready to pick up God’s Word, and fill my mind with whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, and worthy of praise.
Part of the lyrics from the song come from Psalm 16:11, which I have been reflecting on over the past couple years. It says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” As I seek God’s presence through His Word, He has truly spoken to me and shown me so many things in my life that I would have missed if I hadn’t been intentional about looking for the treasures He had placed right in front of me. Don’t miss out on God’s love for you through His LIVING WORD.
“Finally, brothers (or sisters), whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8 (ESV)
With the Advent Season upon us, what a perfect time to begin reading God’s Word. Why not start with the birth of Jesus, God’s Son! If you are looking for a place to get started, consider looking into She Reads Truth. They are devoted to helping people read the Bible every day. They have several different options for connecting from free e-mail devotionals, to inexpensive Bible reading plans through their App, to beautifully made books that include the Scriptures for reading every day!
Everything Lovely is one of the 13 songs that will appear on the Unraveling album I am currently working on. If you are interested in Pre-Ordering the album or checking out some fun items for purchase, please visit my online store at https://squareup.com/store/denisechaneymusic. Everything Lovely t-shirts were just added for purchase. These shirts were designed by my good friend DeEtte at CanyonTees.com. She lovingly hand screen prints each shirt! Order by December 6th to have them in time for Christmas!
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