Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7
This is, perhaps, one of the most encouraging passages in the Bible. The apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter to the Philippians. It might seem strange that a man in prison would be telling a church to rejoice. But Paul's attitude teaches us an important lesson: our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus was with him. Several times in this letter, Paul urged the Philippians to be joyful, probably because they needed to hear it. It is easy to get discouraged about unpleasant circumstances or to take unimportant events too seriously. If you haven't been joyful lately, you may not be looking at life from the right perspective. Take this Thanksgiving weekend and reflect on what is really important . . . and rejoice!
God Bless you,
JH
Agreed!
ReplyDeleteYep, too often I find that my joy is based on circumstances...
ReplyDeletewhich makes it quite fleeting!
I was feeling too tired to be joyful, until I read your blog, absolutely right. Now I will rest in the Lord!
ReplyDelete