Rejoice!

My favorite book of the Bible is Philippians. There are so many awesome verses that really hit home for me from the Bible, and you guessed it- they come from Philippians. I read in Philippians this week and found some verses that spoke to me again. (See my other post here.)

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In Paul's final chapter to the Philippians, Paul talks about rejoicing. Here is what he says:
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. Do not be anxious about 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 your minds in Christ Jesus." (verses 4-7)

What a great perspective that we need to have- one of rejoicing! We're told not to be anxious- but to pray and praise God! Only then will He give us HIS peace... WOW! It is so easy in this world to become anxious about all kinds of little things- illness in family members, or in yourself; friends' troubles; health issues that so many struggle with daily, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and so much more! But God tells us that we can find our joy in Him, and peace in HIM alone!

He goes on to say, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about much things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."


There it is again- the promise of peace! Whatever-- that is the kind of "whatever" that I want to think about, not what the teens say these days! :-D Paul goes on to talk about rejoicing more in verses 10-11, and 11-13 says, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. For I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."


In America these days, there is not much that we need or really even want. My dad is a good example of this-- when you ask what he wants for his birthday, he says "Nothing. I have everything I need." So many of us do not know what it is like to be hungry, we don't skip too many meals. But there are times in our lives that we learn this, whether in early marriage or in between jobs, we may be short of cash, and need a loan. We may overextend our credit cards and need to pay them off, which takes time and discipline. But we can get there. So are you content with all you have? Don't get caught up in the worldly view of needing "More" to be happy. God is MORE than enough. Be content with all you have.

Here is a link to a song by Chris Tomlin about that very topic...
http://vodpod.com/watch/4193044-chris-tomlin-enough