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.

At Jerusalem, Jesus prophesies about the coming Roman forces that will destroy the city. He helps us take our eyes OFF of how things appear and ONTO what truly matters. The widow appears to offer the least, but she gives the most.  The temple appears to be impressive, but their hearts are far from God. Judas appears to greet with love, but he greets with deceit. The council appears to be in charge, but Jesus has all authority! Let us fix our eyes on JESUS.

Zaccheus demonstrates remarkable faith as Jesus continues His journey into Jerusalem. Once in the city, Jesus handles the critical questions of the Pharisees and Sadducees with brilliant answers that continue to inspire us today.

Jesus teaches a series of lessons that go straight to the core of discipleship. He sets forgiveness, humility, and mercy forward as essential traits for following Him.

A sheep, a coin, and a family are all used to explain the Father's resolve to seek and save the lost in chapter 15, but chapter 16 also shows the contrast between the comfort of Lazarus and the lost condition of a selfish rich man.  We learn the need to rescue the lost ASAP!

True love honors God and serves others - and no one does this better than Jesus! The Pharisees thought they could trap Jesus by presenting an opportunity to heal a man on the sabbath, but Jesus exposes their errors by acting with Love. 

Jesus calls His generation and our generation to look ahead to the cost of discipleship. He helps us understand a Godly approach to our money, and the heavenly treasure that comes from following Him.

Jesus puts a spotlight on the priorities of His disciples. From the parable of the GOOD Samaritan to Mary's focus on the GOOD part, Luke 9-10 challenge us to be sure we choose "the good part." 

As Luke writes about the love and power of Jesus, these chapters highlight multiple women who Jesus heals, forgives, and comforts.

The heart of Jesus' message is delivered in His 'Sermon on the Plains.' This sermon was perfect for the Gentile audience Luke wrote to because it contained specific instructions from Jesus in how to please God. So while many statements are similar to the Sermon on the Mount in Matt.5-7, you'll notice that Luke 6 does not contain the extra information about the Law of Moses that was so important to Jewish readers.

Luke takes us from the bold preaching of John the Baptist, to the beginning of Jesus' public ministry.  On this journey, we learn the importance of repentance, baptism, and Jesus' purpose to spread the gospel not only where he is welcome - but far and wide!

Luke investigates and records the power of the gospel in the lives of people who were often overlooked or excluded in his day. He helps us see the arrival of Jesus as good news that is both glorious and humble.

At the cross, the centurion declares that Jesus is the Son of God.  All the evidence points to Jesus being more than a man and more than a prophet.  Joseph reaches the same conclusion, courageously caring for the body of Jesus.  Their faith is confirmed when on the first day of the week, Jesus is raised!  Truly...This Man Was THE Son of God.

Mark 14 shows the strength of Jesus on trial contrasted with the weakness of Peter and the rest of the apostles. As we study this chapter, Peter helps us learn from his sins and mistakes, so that we can learn how to deal with our own failures as well.

Jesus describes Jerusalem as a vineyard, and he's looking for good fruit. As Christians let's produce the fruit of faith and love based on the life and teachings of Christ.

Divorce. Sacrifice. Humility. Jesus shows us that following Him means facing hard truths and making real sacrifices.  But not alone.  He came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life.  As servants we are following in His footsteps.

It is critical that we see Jesus clearly. In Mark 8 and 9 we are challenged to take up our cross and follow Jesus...believing that ALL THINGS are possible for God!

Mark takes us from Jesus' hometown of Nazareth to the distant city of Tyre in these chapters. Along the way, everyone who meets Jesus has an opportunity to show if they really believe in Him...and the results are surprising.

Jesus moves from teaching the crowds to having one-on-one interactions with a demon possessed man, a very sick woman, and a desperate father. In Mark 4 and 5 we see how Jesus welcomes us when we bring our heart, and our troubles, to Him.

Mark boldly proclaims who Jesus is and launches into stories that prove the authority, power, and compassion of Jesus Christ. These stories introduce us to the earliest followers of Jesus, and reveal how we can become part of God's family.

Mary and her friends are the first to hear the good news: He is risen! But the message won't stop with there. Jesus has a plan for His good news to be told all over the world.

Jesus is going to be arrested and the darkest night in human history will unfold. How will Jesus, the apostles, and those around respond to the events that will take place? Matt 26-27 details the plot to kill Jesus, His prayers at Gethsemane, His arrest, the trials, and His crucifixion. 

Jesus prepares His disciples for the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, and urges all His followers to be ready and alert for the day we will stand before His throne.

Jesus demonstrates His incredible wisdom and perfect righteousness by answering the attacks and questions of the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Then, He pours his heart out in a final lesson to expose the hypocrisy of his critics - and hopefully to open their eyes to their need to repent.

Jesus doesn't enter Jerusalem with soldiers and a sword. He enters with mercy and conviction. In these chapters, Jesus helps us understand the grace of God and the fruit He wants to see in our lives.

Jesus addresses stumbling blocks, lost sheep, and divorce. His teachings highlight the big decisions that disciples have to make in order to forgive others and follow Him.