Tag Archives: rejoice

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.

THE FIERY ORDEAL

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THE FIERY ORDEAL

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (1 Peter 4: 12-14)

What was the fiery ordeal of which Peter spoke? In his day it was the persecution of believers at the hands of Nero. There were no lengths to which Nero would not go to rid the empire of the followers of Jesus. Their lives were forfeit at the hands of gladiators, ferocious and half-starved wild beasts kept especially for the purpose, and fire; Christians were covered with pitch and set alight to amuse the emperor and entertain his guests at his lavish garden parties.

Don’t be surprised, said Peter, when this happens. Was this the way Jesus’s followers were normally treated? Peter was merely echoing Jesus’s many warnings that following Him would be no walk in the park. The world then, as now, was polarised into two camps. Jesus said it would be so. He did not come to bring peace but a sword.

‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. (Matt. 10: 34-36)

But Jesus, I thought you came to bring peace? Is that not the promise the angel brought when he announced your birth to the shepherds outside Bethlehem? “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom His favour rests.” The disciples were convinced that Jesus’s mission was to conquer the occupying Roman forces and restore their land to them as it was in David’s day. However hard He tried, Jesus could not convince them otherwise.

Yes, Jesus did come to bring peace, but not the kind of peace they anticipated. His peace was the peace between His Father and His estranged children, reconciliation through His blood which would bring them restoration to their place in God’s household as His sons and daughters.

Of necessity, this new relationship with God would produce a chasm between believers and unbelievers. Everyone who sided with the devil would be in the opposite camp to those who followed Jesus. It would have to be because of the irreconcilable rift between the devil and God. So deep was the hatred in the hearts of unbelievers that they would do anything to get rid of the scourge of those who constantly irritated their conscience by their godly lives.

Peter said, ‘Don’t be surprised.’ The moment they stepped over, through faith, into the camp of those who followed Jesus because they were convinced that it was He, not Caesar, who was the true Son of God, they became marked people. On the contrary, as Peter echoed the words of His Master:

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt. 5: 11, 12)

Instead of complaining or even retaliating, they were to rejoice in the midst of their suffering because it was for His sake that they were facing their fiery ordeal – and they were in good company. The prophets faced and endured the same treatment at the hands of God’s own people. Persecution would be transient and a part of their experience in this life only, but their reward would be eternal.

Jesus even told His disciples not to be afraid of those who could only kill the body and, after that could do no more to them. The body was destined to perish anyway, to make way for a resurrection body that would be eternal and imperishable like the body of their resurrected Lord. They were to live in reverent fear of the one who had the power to destroy them forever in hell.

On top of their temporary suffering which would give way to eternal glory, the very suffering they had to endure to experience forever the glory of God would bring them the overshadowing power of God’s Spirit to endure it in a way the echoed the suffering of Jesus. Far from being a raw ordeal, like Stephen who, in the midst of his ordeal, saw Jesus awaiting his arrival in glory, they would also have God’s Spirit resting on them.

Have you ever wondered how the people in Peter’s day, and even those at the present time who are being tortured and beheaded for their faith, were able to endure? We tremble at the very thought, but God’s promise still stands:

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor. 12: 9)

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.