May 13 – Philippians 4:4-5
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”
One of Paul’s continuous exhortations to all believers is to “Rejoice.” In Romans 12:12, he describes the actions of a Christian, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Over and over throughout his letters, he reminds us to be joyful, to rejoice. In the letter to the Philippians, he says it several times. Philippians 3:1, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!”
In Romans 14:17, Paul also tells us that joy is a characteristic of the kingdom of God: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and that its evidence in times we are suffering signifies our relationship with Jesus to the outside world. “…we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)
Circumstances dictate our level of happiness, but not our level of joy. Paul isn’t telling us to be happy; he is telling us to Rejoice! Not only does he say it once, but he repeats himself so that we will get it. For Paul, joy and rejoicing doesn’t come from the world, but from Jesus Christ.
The next sentence is hard for many of us … let people see your gentleness and the fact that you are considerate. Heck it’s hard for us to even be gentle and considerate to the people we know, much less to all.
This is such a call for us to be Christians that the world would see and desire to emulate. Our self-centered, whiny, complaining, power-hungry, sense of entitlement selves will never draw people to the Christ we say is our Savior.
We don’t have time to put ourselves first. The Lord is near. Every time we set aside His purpose for our own, we miss a chance to show Him to the world. The Lord is near.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”
One of Paul’s continuous exhortations to all believers is to “Rejoice.” In Romans 12:12, he describes the actions of a Christian, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Over and over throughout his letters, he reminds us to be joyful, to rejoice. In the letter to the Philippians, he says it several times. Philippians 3:1, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!”
In Romans 14:17, Paul also tells us that joy is a characteristic of the kingdom of God: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and that its evidence in times we are suffering signifies our relationship with Jesus to the outside world. “…we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)
Circumstances dictate our level of happiness, but not our level of joy. Paul isn’t telling us to be happy; he is telling us to Rejoice! Not only does he say it once, but he repeats himself so that we will get it. For Paul, joy and rejoicing doesn’t come from the world, but from Jesus Christ.
The next sentence is hard for many of us … let people see your gentleness and the fact that you are considerate. Heck it’s hard for us to even be gentle and considerate to the people we know, much less to all.
This is such a call for us to be Christians that the world would see and desire to emulate. Our self-centered, whiny, complaining, power-hungry, sense of entitlement selves will never draw people to the Christ we say is our Savior.
We don’t have time to put ourselves first. The Lord is near. Every time we set aside His purpose for our own, we miss a chance to show Him to the world. The Lord is near.
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