Hello friend,
I hope you're in good health and all is well with you.
I want to read scripture today with you.
I'm going to be reading from Philippians chapter 4 verse 4 through 7.
I'll get you a Bible and let's read along.
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Again I say rejoice.
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.
The Lord is at hand.
Do not be anxious about anything,
But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
In the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Now friend,
This is the word of the Lord to you.
It says rejoice in the Lord always and he says it again.
He says rejoice.
This is the apostle Paul encouraging his listeners to rejoice in the Lord always.
You know sometimes life can beat you down and you feel like what do I have to celebrate?
What do I have to rejoice about?
But the person who wrote this text,
It's not a person who is not familiar with troubles and the apostle Paul was no stranger to the challenges of life.
But he's saying rejoice.
Rejoice in the Lord.
You know the Bible as you read it you come to find out that the Bible hardly talks about happiness.
The Bible hardly says be happy and you don't hear that a lot.
The Bible talks a lot about joy.
You know happiness,
Being happy,
Is based on things happening,
Happenstance,
Things happening.
But the Bible doesn't say that.
The Bible talks about joy.
Rejoice.
Well what's joy?
Well we already talked about happiness,
Things happening you know based on you know happenstance.
But joy is a soul that knows that it's secured in Christ.
It doesn't matter what is happening right now because their soul is already secured in Christ.
Through the work of Christ on the cross.
And so no matter what happens or what is happening right now they're not concerned about that.
Oh it may seem very very troubling.
But they're not worried about that because they've got deep joy within them.
Their joy is based on the finished work of Christ on the cross.
And so when the apostle says rejoice and again I say rejoice.
That's where he's coming from.
Don't let the things around you make you feel depressed and feel like oh yeah nobody knows the kind of trouble I'm going through.
Sure that's one way to look at it.
But you can also look at it from the perspective of somebody who went through shipwreck,
Being stoned,
Left without food,
Left for dead,
Beaten and all of that.
But he's rejoicing.
And then it goes on to say that do not be anxious for anything.
Instead,
Through prayer,
Let your requests be made known to God.
What are you worried about today?
What are you worried about right now?
Let that thing be known to God in prayer.
It's no use worrying about something that you know that you can't control.
If you could control it you wouldn't be worried about that.
You're worried because you have established that this is beyond my control.
Well then what's the point of worrying?
Take that worry and put it on the person who has the power to change that situation.
Put it on Christ.
Be anxious for nothing because it's a waste of time.
Through prayer,
With thanksgiving,
Let your prayer or your requests be made known to God.
And here's the thing,
When you give it to God,
All you got to do is thank Him.
That's it.
Don't give something to God and continue to worry about it.
Oh God,
Are you going to do it?
Are you going to do it?
Are you going to do it?
Oh,
He's God.
When you give it to Him,
Just thank Him and be still and know that He is God.
That's all you got to do.
You've given it to Him,
Then that's all you got to do.
And you look at verse 7,
It says,
And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guide your hearts and your mind in Christ.
That peace,
That doesn't make any sense when everything that's around you seems to be crumbling,
But you have peace internally.
You have inside peace.
You have a peace of mind.
That's the kind of peace that Paul is talking about here.
He says,
The peace of God that surpasses all understanding,
It makes no sense.
That's what will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Give it to Him.
Don't be anxious about anything.
You've given it to the one that has power to bring or effect the change that you're needing or looking for.
Give it to Him.
Thank Him and let this peace that He promises be yours.
Be encouraged by the scripture.
I'm going to read it again.
It says,
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Again,
I'll say rejoice.
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.
The Lord is at hand.
Do not be anxious about anything,
But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,
Let your request be made known to God.
And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Friend,
I hope you're encouraged by this.
Go on and let this peace of God that surpasses all understanding,
Let it guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.
Have a blessed day.
