Rejoice in the Lord always!

Philippians 4 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

² I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. ³ Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. ⁹ The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. ¹¹ Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. ¹² I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. ¹³ I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.

¹⁵ You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; ¹⁶ for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. ¹⁷ Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. ¹⁸ But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. ²⁰ Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

²¹ Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. ²² All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.

²³ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Proverbs 23:7 says:  For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.  The philosophy of man says that you can have what you want if you think positively. In truth though whether positive or negative, what we think affects how we act and what we are or what we become. If we are consumed with thoughts of money and material gain, we become greedy. If we think mostly about satisfying the desires of our flesh we become self centered and self seeking. It is more than just our thoughts which are changed, we actually become like what we think about and believe. We are changed by what we focus on, by what we behold and by what we value or worship. As believers we need to guard against focusing on and thinking about the darkness and evil around us, lest we ourselves become darkened. We need instead to focus on what is good. Colossians 3:2 says:  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.   In Matthew 6:33 Jesus says:  “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.”   The psalmists answer to the idea of what we think and what we focus on is in Psalm 37: 4   Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.    When we focus on God, when we think of Him, when we turn our eyes to see His goodness, when we worship God, our hearts and our thoughts become aligned with His. It is no longer that we think about what we want, what are our own selfish desires, but instead, He gives us our desires. Our desires are His. We want and strive for what He wants. We are changed in and by His presence. 1 John 1:5 says:  God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.   As we delight in God, we should become like the light of God.

In today’s text Paul says:  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.    If these are the things we think on, if these are the things we ponder and focus on, then they should also be the things that are in our hearts and minds. They also then should be what comes out of us. We should say:  whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, any excellence and anything worthy of praise. What if beginning today, what we said and what we posted on social media was only: whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, any excellence and anything worthy of praise?     Others might not follow. Those in the world might continue to speak and post negativity and lies rather than what is positive and true. They might still speak of what they hate rather than what they love and what is lovely. We though, are not to be those who are affected by others, but rather those who affect others. Romans 12:21 says:   Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.   Romans 12:2 says:  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.   As our minds are transformed by thinking and focusing on God and on what is good, what we speak, the good that comes from our hearts will prove: that which is good and acceptable and perfect,what the will of God is.     

Today’s text says:  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Even in the midst of the darkness and the chaos of the world we can be free from anxiety, doubt and worry. Jesus says:  “I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) The Lord is near. He says: “I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20) He says:  “The Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)   Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!  In the midst of and in response to the darkness, negativity and chaos of the world rejoice!   And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

May the words of the psalmist be our prayer:  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. As we delight in God and what is good, may we also be as Jesus says:   The light of the world. A city set on a hill, which cannot be hidden; may we let our light shine before men in such a way that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father who is in heaven. That is my prayer and my supplication, that is my request made with thanksgiving and I:  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!   Amen.