"Rejoice in
the Lord always - and again I say, rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4).
A life free of
worry and fear is ours when we choose to live in contentment with
gratitude. This freedom can only happen if we surrender our whole soul – our mind,
will and emotions - to God’s will for our life. Our Heavenly Father is capable
of handling all of our problems, including our future. So that leaves us with
little to do but to rejoice. We develop a habit of gratitude, which flows from
a heart of thanksgiving for all that Christ did for us and all God provides for
us on a daily basis.
Due to his
heritage, we may mistakenly conclude that Paul enjoyed an easy life, stress
free and privileged. On the contrary, Paul suffered more than most (2
Corinthians 11:23-28). At
one point, the Romans detained Paul. Under house arrest and chained to a Roman
soldier, he gave us an example of how to rejoice in every situation. In his
letter to the Philippians, while he awaited trial, he penned the legendary
words and exhorted them to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4).
In fact, in 2 Corinthians 4: 17, Paul encourages us to look at our afflictions
as "light and momentary". Paul held no animosity toward his captors.
In the past, he too sought out Christians and killed them. He learned the art
of forgiveness and acceptance from Stephen (Acts 7:59) and others that he persecuted. His whole
mindset changed when he met the Savior on the road to Damascus (Acts
22:6-7). He took his eyes
off of his earthly existence and placed them instead on eternity.
If we harbor
negative attitudes, we are unable to rejoice. This happens when we adopt a
carnal perspective of life. Our focus is riveted on earthly desires, objectives
and dreams. We lose sight of the blessings of a life centered in Christ.
When we follow
Paul’s example, however, and completely embrace the truth of eternity, we enjoy
a different attitude about the occurrences in our life. We have a different
framework for our thinking and we see things from a heavenly perspective.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help
us to keep our eyes on You. When life hits us with a trial, help us to look at
it from Your perspective. Help us to learn contentment as Paul did (Philippians
4:11), no matter what
circumstances develop during our day.
Thought for the
Day:
When
troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. - James 1:2