Dwell On These Things - Embry Hills Podcast

Dwelling on what is true, honorable, and excellent is more than a mental exercise. In Philippians 4:9, Christians are taught to put these things into practice. The benefits will bring greater peace within our hearts and a closer relationships with our Lord.

Prayers, hymns, and the steadfast love of God can all help us re-center our thoughts on things that are praiseworthy.

The call to excellence is not a call to perfectionism, but to reaching our potential in Christ. Dwelling on excellence in our character, our talents, and our relationships helps us live an honorable and fruitful life.

Kindness that often gets overlooked, reconciliation, generosity...dwelling on things that are of good repute allows us to overcome negativity bias by focusing on the admirable. 

A sunrise, a newborn, a baptism...dwelling on things that are lovely changes our mood and helps us live with compassion and gratitude.

Focusing on what is pure includes more than just avoiding lust. Philippians 4:8 encourages us to be pure in our speech, our faith, and our relationships.

The third concept found in Philippians 4:8 is...Right. We all have an internal sense of what is fair or just or right, but our thinking often doesn't align with God's perfect standards of what is Right. This episode explores the lives of Jesus, Noah, Joseph and others to re-center on what is RIGHT.

The second keyword in Philippians 4:8 is...honorable. Discover the value of showing honor and dwelling on honorable and weighty matters.

The first concept Philippians 4:8 teaches us to dwell on is...Truth. This conversation explores the meaning of truth, the dangerous lies that creep into our self-talk, and how to replace these ideas with God's peace-producing TRUTH.

Jesus appears to Peter, John, and a few other disciples at the Sea of Galilee. He performs an impressive miracle and provides a loving meal. As they share the meal, Jesus gives Peter the opportunity to re-affirm his love and devotion to Jesus.

On the first day of the week, Mary is weeping. But what she, Peter, John, and the rest of the disciples discover is that the GOOD NEWS is even better than they could imagine!

The culmination of the gospel of John. Pilate continues his trial of Jesus and ultimately puts Him to death out of fear of the multitudes. Jesus will be crucified, but it's the completion of a work began in the beginning. His death will stir others to change. 

Jesus faces his betrayal, arrest, and trials with so much confidence that others aren't even sure how to respond. 

Jesus shows His concern for the disciples future as He informs them about the work the Holy Spirit will accomplish and prays for them to be in the world, but not of the world.

Two more "I am..." statements help the apostles (and us) begin to comprehend just how much Jesus truly loves us, and how much we rely on Him to be fruitful.

Jesus takes the position and appearance of the most humble servant to teach us the extent of his humility and love.

Jesus points us to the Glory of God by raising his friend, Lazarus, from the dead.

Jesus heals a blind man on the Sabbath. We see the faith of the blind grow while seeing the blindness of the Pharisees. Then Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd. 

Jesus speaks out even more boldly about the light and freedom He brings into the world...such great light that even Abraham rejoiced over it!

Jesus' teaching at the Feast of Booths proves to be a defining moment in the lives of the soldiers sent to arrest Jesus.

Jesus, the Bread of Life, feeds the 5,000 but challenges both the disciples and the crowd to understand that HE is the TRUE bread of heaven.

Jesus meets a woman at the well and provides the Living Water that leads to eternal life.

John 2-3 take us from the wedding in Cana to the powerful conversation with Nicodemus when Jesus declares: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

John's personal and profound gospel begins with echoes of Genesis 1 to introduce us to the eternal and divine Son of God!

Sewell Hall joins the podcast this week to cover the powerful conclusion to the gospel of Luke.