Tag Archives: rejoice

ROMANS…THE WAY – 20c

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“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul follows his instructions about serving one another through our spiritual gifts with a string of attitudes and actions that reflect who we are inside. As branches in the vine (John 15), we bear the fruit that reveals the nature of the vine. Real fruit, not plastic decorations, shows that we are in vital union with the true vine. We can’t make this fruit happen. We simply allow the nature of Jesus to come out in our attitudes and behaviour. 

Prayer is the key. Prayer keeps us in vital contact with Jesus, who is our source in every moment of our daily lives. His joy flows through us…giving colour and flavour to our human experiences, even in times of trouble or suffering. Generosity is the evidence of our union with Him…freely giving of ourselves in service to others no matter the cost. 

“Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul’s instructions about how to live as followers of Jesus, and reflects his confidence in a people who have been given a heart transplant…they are no longer sell-absorbed. They see others through God’s eyes and with God’s heart. Persecutors are not to be hated but to be wooed…through love and prayer. 

We also show our togetherness with our fellow believers by participating in their joys and sorrows. We keep our feet the ground by sharing our lives with all people, no matter what their station in life…and we allow others to be themselves…to think, decide, and choose their own way.  We don’t force ourselves on them by a show of superior knowledge or by trying to influence their choices. I say that because we have a tendency to think we know more…or that our way of thinking is better than others. 

Then Paul reaches a point that is a game-changer when we seriously consider and practise his counsel. Don’t retaliate!  This is a bitter pill to swallow because our flesh revolts against unfair treatment of any kind. 

“Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Ae we have already learned from a previous post (15d), when we are wronged, it is the most natural thing in the world to hit back. Why shouldn’t we? We have the right to be angry. We have the right to pay back…and more…for what we have suffered. “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth!” Isn’t that what the Bible teaches?

Jesus always taught and modelled a higher and better way. 

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭38‬-‭41‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Was Jesus teaching that we must allow people to walk all over us without retaliating? No! There are two lessons enshrined in His words. The first is that we must not retaliate when someone treats us unfairly because retaliation…revenge…is not in our job description.  We are not the judge…God is…and His judgment is just. When we judge, we take matters into our own hands and…we not only keep the evil going but we also, most often, make it worse. 

Second, hidden in this instruction is a reference to the culture of Jesus’ day. He was also teaching that you must not allow your enemy to rob you of your dignity. When you return good for evil, you are forcing your enemy to acknowledge that you are on equal footing with him/her…. like turning the other cheek, going the second mile, or giving up your cloak when your tunic is demanded. These responses go beyond what is required of you. 

Retaliation/revenge in whatever form, perpetuates hatred in the world…between individuals, families, communities, and even nations. Just think of the current conflicts in our world. Death and destruction follow retaliation…big time!

Jesus said, “Cut it off! Let it go before it escalates! Let God take care of it!”

There is a practical way of stopping the cycle of revenge. Eugene Peterson, in his rendering of Romans 12:20-21 in “The Message” says…

“Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭MSG‬‬

In this way, we not only take the wind out of the other person’s sails, but we also treat that person with dignity and respect…recognising a need and doing something about it. 

The real issue is…who are you? If you are God’s child, then act like Him. If you act like an ungodly person, you are denying the God who created you and the person God has made you to be. 

To be continued

PARTNER WITH JOY

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Philippians 4:4-5 NLT
[4] “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! [5] Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon….”

Paul adds some final touches to his picture of partnership in this letter. He has highlighted the place of love…unity, faith, and perseverance in the family of believers, and the importance of overcoming selfishness for the sake of the body.

Now he focuses on joy and peace, the two other “fruits of the Spirit” that Jesus gave to His disciples before His death, and the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in them.

How do we maintain our joy in the midst of our suffering? Paul said and repeated, “Rejoice in the Lord.” The problem is that we rejoice in so many other things rather than in the Lord. Other “things” change…and so our happiness fluctuates. Notice I said “happiness” because circumstances influence our state of happiness but cannot touch our joy.

Joy is different.

I believe, from Scripture, that joy is related to our confidence in Jesus and the promise of our future. Look at this verse…

Hebrews 12:2 NLT
[2] “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

An unshakeable confidence in God produces joy despite our suffering because our future is secure.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT
[16]”That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. [17] For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! [18] So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

With a promise like that, who would not be joyful!

The secret is…rejoice in the Lord. He is the unchanging constant in a changing world. Remember the old chorus?

” Yesterday, today, forever, Jesus is the same;
All may change, but Jesus never,
Glory to His name…”

Why can we be so sure of Jesus? Paul said, “He is near,” not “coming soon,” as the NLT translates. Jesus is at hand, available, always near. He hasn’t left us. We can call on His name and He will be quick to respond. He promised His presence with us always, so near, in fact, that His Spirit is in us.

So, Paul directs his readers to the source of true joy, “the Lord”, and to the way to remain joyful, “always”. We can partner with joy as a constant companion if we keep our gaze on Jesus even in our storms because He is nearer than our breath.

PARTNERS WITH TRUTH

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Philippians 3:1-3 NLT
[1] “Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. [2] Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. [3] For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort…”

Part of Paul’s ministry, as  God’s people grew and matured in their faith, was to protect them from false teachers. God’s enemies showed up in many different disguises.

Some attacked openly. Unbelieving Jews and pagan Gentiles tried in every way to silence the church by every form of persecution. Rumours of outrageous practices like, for example, cannibalism based on Jesus’s words…

John 6:53 NIV
[53] “Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”

…circulated, arousing suspicion and hatred. They thought they could exterminate the church by killing believers, one by one. It didn’t work.

“It was Tertullian, one of the Early Church Fathers of the second century, who really coined the term “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” He drives the point home hard in his Apologeticus, directly addressing the Roman Empire:

“We are not a new philosophy but a divine revelation. That’s why you can’t just exterminate us; the more you kill the more we are. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. You praise those who endured pain and death – so long as they aren’t Christians! Your cruelties merely prove our innocence of the crimes you charge against us…”
https://media.ascensionpress.com
article,” Blood of the Martyrs is still the Seed of the Church “

Others used a far more subtle approach, introducing the poison of false doctrine into Paul’s message to upset and confuse relatively new believers.

Paul didn’t have a good word to say about such people. He called them ” dogs”. Now we wouldn’t degrade our beloved “fur babies” by using them in that context but, in Paul’s day, dogs were not pampered pets. They were a kind of vermin.

These false teachers were vermin. “They do evil. They are mutilators. They peddle lies.”

The best way to deal with lies is to know and hold fast to the truth. What is the truth? Paul outlined it for the Philippians believers…

1. Rejoice in the Lord.
Now, that’s a good place to start. When we rejoice in the Lord, our minds are preoccupied with Him, leaving no room for false ideas to take hold. Continually rejoicing in the Lord is a sure safeguard against the intrusion of spiritual poison into our minds.

2. Be aware of danger. When we venture outside of our homes, climb into our cars, and drive into the traffic, if we are wise, we will be vigilant about what other drivers do. We may be careful drivers ourselves, but others aren’t. Our safety lies in our obedience to the rules of the the road and in our awareness of potential danger when other drivers transgress.

So also in our spiritual Iives. We must know the truth in order to discern lies. As long as we stick to the truth that Jesus has done everything to save and sanctify us and that our part is to trust in Him, we will be safe from spiritual harm and deception.

“No confidence in the flesh”…that’s the key. Every time we add something to what Jesus has done and is doing to gain God’s approval, Paul said, “We have fallen from grace.”

Galatians 5:2-6 NIV
[2] “Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. [3] Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. [4] You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. [5] For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. [6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

This way of thinking, that we can add to what Jesus has done, is a serious departure from the truth, more serious than peripheral issues like, for example, eating or not eating meat offered to idols.

1 Corinthians 8:8 NIV
[8] “But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.”

So, Paul warns,, “Don’t lose your way by not being alert. Your safety lies in your faithful adherence to the truth. If you stay in the boundaries of God’s Word in faith and practice, no one will be able to lure you away from your security in Jesus.”

False doctrine is far more dangerous an enemy that persecution. Persecution drives us closer to the Lotd; false teaching confuses us and dilutes our faith in the truth. Faith in the infallible Word is our safeguard against falling from grace. Faith matters. Truth matters. Faith in the truth saves and secures us… therefore, we must hold fast to the truth to be safe.

THE BRIDAL GOWN

Christian Life, ,

Revelation 19:7-8 NLT
[7] “Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. [8] She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.”

Her wedding day has finally arrived. After many months of planning and preparation, she is ready to don her wedding gown, the centre and focal point of her adornment for that day.

Her hair has been washed and styled, her jewellery in place but, without her wedding gown, she is not yet the perfect bride.

Imagine the anticipation as the bridegroom awaits her arrival! He strains for a glimpse of his beloved, walking slowly, steadily up the aisle towards Him on the arm of her Father.

His first glimpse is a vision of snowy white, signifying her purity as she has guarded her body for Him alone. Slowly, she moves up the aisle towards Him; the vision of her beauty takes shape and form.

On the day of their betrothal, He gave her the bridal gown, a perfect fit, unblemished, a replica of His vision for her. “Adorn it,” He said,
“with the jewels and embroidery that speak of who you are.”

The interval between their betrothal and their wedding day was not to be wasted. It was to be a time of perparation. She was to set herself apart from all other men. She was to close her door to those who once sort her as a prospective bride. She was betrothed to one lover and all her love and attention was to be on Him.

She was to spend the interim preparing her bridal gown. She was to work tirelessly on her garment ofcl righteousness, embroidering her life with the adornments of good works and righteous living in obedience to her Beloved.

“For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.”

Her gown was breathtakingly beautiful. Gold and silver flowers with glittering centres, fruit of a myiad hues, and creatures alight with jewelled eyes, danced around the billowing skirt. Her semi-translucent veil only faintly hid the gleam of passionate love in her eyes. The train of her garment, littered with gems of every colour and hue, flowed out behind her like a gentle stream.

Every stitch of gold and silver spoke of her chaste and purposeful life as she awaited her wedding day. She longed to be worthy of the love her Beloved poured upon her day after day as they prepared for their union.

She spent many hours stitching into her wedding gown the story of her love for to Him. She crafted in gold and silver the fruit of His spiritual gifts she freely gave to others, the evidences of loving service and generosity to the needy, the hours she spent building into others the treasures of His Word.

Her gown was a library of tales of faith, hope, and love. Her heart pounded inside her with anticipation of His joy when He was finally satisfied with the fruit of His love for her.

The many attempts to embroider the perfect flower, to depict the vigour and energy of the creatures replicated in every stitch, the time spent in setting every scene alight with colourful gems, was worth the pain and toil to see His face.

The wedding gown had done its work well. It had told her story of commitment, perseverance, and faithful service. Its beauty had mirrored the beauty of her heart as He read all the details in its adornment. She was truly His and His alone. He knew that, what she had written of her preparation for that day in her wedding gown, would continue forever in her eternal union with Him.

As I have worked on my bridal gown for many years, there have been spots and wrinkles to deal with if I am to be to Him the perfect bride He has made me to be. How can I present myself to Him with the fabric of my gown smudged and blottted by sin and disobedience? How can I cleanse away the dirty spots that spoil the pure unblemished white of the His righteousness He gave me?

No soap or detergent can restore the purity of His gown. My sin needs the only cleansing agent that can restore my gown to perfection.

1 John 1:7, 9 NLT
[7] “But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin….
[9] But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

There is only one way to stay pure and to wash away all unrighteousness…the powerful cleansing blood my Bridegroom Himself, shed for me. His own blood has washed me clean of all the spots and blemishes I inflicted on my gown. It is possible, then by His grace alone, to meet His expectations on that glorious day. We shall come face to face and He will carry me over the threshold into the bridal chamber to become one with Him forever.

A PRESCRIPTION FOR LIFE

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A PRESCRIPTION FOR LIFE

“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 about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7.

Such familiar words, almost as familiar as John 3:16! We can repeat them parrot fashion and often do, but what do they mean?

Paul’s prescription for life is encapsulated in these three verses. If there was ever a “Four Easy Steps to Successful Living” statement, Paul did not need to write a book to make it. This is it!

Step one: Rejoice in the Lord always.

This is both a positive and negative prescription because no one can both rejoice and be miserable at the same time. If we allow our circumstances to dictate our moods, we will live an emotional yo-yo existence. When things go well, we are happy. When we hit a rough patch, we descend into depression. Up, down, up, down – depending on what each day brings. What a way to live, but many, even believers, do live like this!

What’s the solution? Simple! Rejoice in the Lord! He is the most stable, unchanging, and reliable person in our lives. It’s all about choices. If we choose to dwell on Him and His promises instead of riding the roller-coaster of circumstances, our emotional storms will calm down. What appears to be disaster will become just another step in our journey of faith in Him. Rejoicing in the Lord prepares us for the next step.

Did you notice how Paul said “always”? Not just sometimes or when circumstances are favourable. God works in “all things” for our good. “Rejoicing in the Lord always” tells Him that we are willing to trust Him when we cannot see the way ahead. That’s when we have to exercise our faith muscles.

Step two: Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

What’s this about? When life goes sour on us, there is a tendency in all of us to dump our emotional pain on other people. We are moody; we lash out; we withdraw into ourselves; we erupt for very little reason; we punish those closest to us for the way we feel. Don’t we all do it? It’s our coping mechanism, but is doesn’t work. We build an emotion wall between ourselves and other people, and ourselves and God.

Paul’s answer, again, is simple. Stop focusing on your circumstances and set your mind on God. He hasn’t gone anywhere! He is near. What’s the problem? When trouble hits, we lose sight of God. Stress replaces rest as though God has suddenly lost control or gone somewhere where we can’t reach Him. Remember Job? His complaint was, “Oh that I knew where I might find Him,” but He was there all the time!

Step three: Do not be anxious about anything. It’s all very well, Paul, to tell me not to be anxious, but how can I stop being anxious when my whole world is falling apart? My child is deathly ill. My finances are in ruins. My husband has been retrenched. My house is being repossessed. The list of adversities is endless.

Again, we cannot experience two conflicting emotions as the same time. We are either anxious or at peace. The one cancels out the other. If we practise rejoicing in the Lord, our circumstance will lose their power to terrify us, and our hearts will be prepared for the next step in the crisis. What do we do with our anxiety which threatens to overwhelm us when we are staring down the barrel of a gun?

Step four: In every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

What is prayer? Not bringing our grocery list to God every morning and expecting delivery the next day! Prayer is, firstly, changing our awareness. God is near but we are more aware of ourselves than of Him. Why must we change our awareness? Because everything looks different when we see things from His point of view.

Instead of rehearsing our anxieties and dwelling on our fears, Paul said, “Be real with God. He knows how you feel, but He wants you to open up to Him. Expose your heart to Him, Spill your guts!” It’s amazing what happens when we stop telling God what we think He wants to hear and start being honest enough to tell Him the truth in all its ugliness. Tell Him about your anxiety – everything! Bitterness, hatred, insecurity, fear, guilt, shame, even your mistrust of Him. Offload!

When you have got rid of all the rubbish, something awesome happens – peace that transcends understanding replaces all the garbage you have offloaded onto God. It’s an exchange. You have given to Jesus all the trash He died for, and He’s taken it from you and given you the priceless gift of peace. And guess what? What was so big before has shrunk to nothing because it’s no longer your problem.

(I am indebted to Andy Stanley in his DVD series called “He’s Still Got the Whole World in His Hands” for a fresh understanding of these verses).

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.