foreboding or worry that is wrong and the Lord is referring to anxiety in the first Gospel.

It has been said that `hard work seldom kills, but worry does'. There was surely never a

time like the present when increasing pressure is being brought to bear on us all in so

many ways. Hence the turning to drugs and tranquilizers to ease the tension. But the

wise believer, who casts all his cares on the Lord experiences something that is infinitely

better and always works! In the place of worry comes the `peace of God that passes all

understanding'. He may not get all his requests answered in the way he desires, but he is

assured of one answer always, the answer of peace.

"Our requests" covers every problem both spiritual and temporal to which the

ingredient of `thanksgiving' should always be added. Ingratitude is one of the basest of

sins. We may not know how to pray as we ought, but we can always praise! A

moment's reflection on the many blessings spiritual and physical which we constantly

receive will provide subject matter for our prayers, and if we kept in this grateful state of

mind, ever realizing what we owe to the Lord, we shall not stray far from His will day by

day.  "Peace with God" is the experience of the believer on realizing what salvation

and justification by faith in Christ really means.

The peace of God  can be the

permanent possession as all anxieties are cast upon Him. He offers to be our permanent

burden-bearer! (Psa. 55: 22), and then we can continually know what is to have the God of

peace with us and near us (Phil. 4: 9) all through our journey home to glory. Then

indeed our hearts and minds are `guarded' or protected by Him and nothing can enter that

can harm.

It is important in this context to realize that logizesthe, `think' does not mean merely

to `meditate upon', but to `reckon' or `take account of' (see R.V. margin here). It is one

of the important words of Rom. 4:, where it is translated `reckon', and `impute'. This

long list of graces is not given just to think about, but to `take account of' in our own

lives and the lives of other believers.

Instead of the tendency of criticize others, which we all have in some measure, how

much better it would be to note these graces in other fellow-members of the Body of

Christ and to thank God for them! How much easier Christian work and witness would

be if this was our daily practice! It has been point out by expositors that this list gives the

ideals and accepted virtues of pagan morality. If this was so, how much more should

they be present in the life of the redeemed! "Virtue" is a frequent word in classical

Greek, and is only used here by the Apostle Paul. It only occurs elsewhere in the N.T.

twice in Peter's epistles (II Pet. 1: 3, 5). Perhaps `excellence' is the best translation of it.

"Praise" can be construed as `what deserves praise' or `anything that calls down the

approval of the Lord'. The Apostle who followed the Lord so closely could point to his

own example without egotism, for pre-eminently Paul was a man who practiced what he

preached to others. Learned, received, heard and seen show how true this was and we