WEDNESDAY October 2, 2024
Rejoice in the Lord!
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Philippians 4:4-5
As I continue to study Paul’s Philippian epistle, I cannot help but think to myself, Paul, how can you rejoice when you are under house arrest? But he always rejoiced. Paul encouraged the believers in Philippi to do likewise––rejoice in the Lord always.
Rejoicing is an attitude we all need to have in life. We must all learn to trust and believe that God is working all things out for our good: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Having this mind-set will help us to rest in God’s promises. Resting in the truth of God’s Word will cause us to always rejoice in the Lord!
Paul went on to exhort the Philippian church to let their gentleness be known to all men. This quality of gentleness is seen in the life of a spirit-filled Christian. It is a gentle strength that can only be operated through the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:23). Gentleness naturally displays humility and meekness––power under control.
Notice how Paul concluded verse 5. He gave a commanding statement: The Lord is at hand. In his life, he lived in expectancy of Christ’s return. This hope of Christ’s return caused him to rejoice every day. The Bible teaches that living in anticipation of Christ’s return will cause us to live a pure life:
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (1 John 3:2-3).
Living with the hope of Jesus’ soon return should also cause us to think of others. Take a good look around you––people need Jesus! They need to see you rejoicing in the midst of your problems. When they do, they will ask you the reason for your joy. They will want what you have––Jesus!
A rejoicing heart soon makes a praising tongue.
~C.H. Spurgeon~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
