Archive for January 13th, 2010
Rejoice
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
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 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. Philippians 4:4-7
Just the other night I went to bed wondering what 2010 was going to bring and trying to negotiate some major decisions at home and with Wells for Life; decisions that involved money.
I don’t know about you but when it comes to signing on the dotted line for a big purchase or for undertaking a monumental project I like to have some type of assurance that what I am doing is the right thing to do and even more something that God is ok with. (Sort of sounds funny I know, but don’t we want all of our decisions to be not just ok with God but lead by God thus receiving the blessing of God?)
I think for those who are caught up in a job search with or without a job in this economy are ever increasingly aware of the stress, tension, anxiety and even fear that can take place; after all money has become a place of comfort and stability for most of us unfortunately.
Knowing this to be true, the scripture above becomes ever more important for our daily lives and yet it requires some major thought shifting in our brains. Because what it is telling us to do fly’s in the face of conventional wisdom, it tells us in everything within life to Rejoice, regardless of what we are experiencing and living in our lives are to be marked by rejoicing.
Is this hard and does this make sense to you?
How do you rejoice when you lose your job, when the car breaks down and you have no money to fix it, when you have been diagnosed with cancer, lymphoma or just have been told you and your children have H1N1?
Bluntly put, it sucks.
Worse yet, the news out of Haiti about their earthquake and the death and destruction that has resulted certainly is void of the scripture; or is it? When these words were written could the writer have even imagined earthquakes with this kind of destruction and loss of life?
You might say, “No way” and yet don’t you think God knew and after all scripture is inspired by God so I would have to say, Yes, even in the worst of circumstances where death is all around, the scripture is not just relevant but applicable and true, in fact, it is truth.
I believe this is so true that I am willing to live my life by it and in fact I believe if you want the secret to a successful and prosperous life you can do this one simple thing, maybe I should write a book about this but it would be really short and not worth the expense so here it is…. Live out Philippians 4:4-7. It’s that simple. Here it is again.
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 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.
I guarantee you that if you live your life daily rejoicing in all of God’s benefits and provision for your life and the salvation He offers you and all of the other good things that result from a surrendered life and even the stuff that He just provides regardless of where we are at in life with Him, there is cause for rejoicing.
Quite simply put, you could be dead and not have an eternity spent in Heaven, which brings up another point all together about eternity, salvation, and what it takes to get there which really isn’t a lot but isn’t as simple as just going to church or being born into a “Christian home” and thus if you have questions or want to explore this further then please contact me and we can discuss this, but back to my original thought without an eternity secured 100% in Heaven there really isn’t a lot to be thankful for or rejoice about in the grand scheme of things.
Why, well think about it, if all you got is 70 or 80 years here on earth and then you become dust and there really is no future then no wonder life is full of anxiety, fear and worry – you haven’t even settled in your mind and heart what your life is about here on earth. (And, it’s not just for your kids, your spouse or to take care of someone or something or even to make a difference in the world by doing good.)
At some point we all need to come to the understanding that we are put here on earth for a reason and this reason can only be fully understood through relationship with God. When this takes place the “light” comes on as to the “why” of life and it is then that we really begin to live.
Unfortunately though life still has a way of snuffing out the truth we have received and a struggle ensues for our life. Our livelihood is really at stake. Just because we have faith in God doesn’t mean the struggle ends; it remains and it can at times intensify. Why? Evil.
Scripture tells us struggle, hardship, persecution will come and yet we are to withstand it, fight against it; endure it knowing that ultimately we will overcome it. Knowing the struggle is against the spiritual forces of darkness and enlisting the help of Heaven itself enables us to enter into this war and fight knowing the ultimate outcome and it is within this struggle that we realize more clearly whose we are and what our purpose is.
Armed then with this knowledge and awareness having a new perspective on life with a view towards the future and in future I am talking eternity, we can rise above all that we are living in, the “stuff” of life and all that it represents because we know and are assured of our ultimate reality, which is life forever with God.
This then is cause for rejoicing. Rejoice that you have a place secured for you and that no matter what you experience here today, tomorrow, next week, month or year it is nothing compared to the incredible worth of knowing your future in heaven for all eternity is secure. Moreover life with God in Heaven will be complete, full, satisfying and beyond our best dreams. There will be complete peace in all of our relationships and within our very selves; also think about it, no H1N1, bird flu, swine flu, global warming, cancer, death, headache, job loss, termination, nothing, no more bad and miserable days.
Something to look forward to and yet those are just the fluff, the real joy will be fellowship and intimacy with the creator of the universe.
In the interim, how to live today.
Rejoice. Regardless of what you are living, rejoice, knowing your future.
Ok…the rest later, its 3:20am and I need some sleep, more or should I say the rest later. Check back. Good night and say a prayer for Haiti, specifically pray for the children life Jamesly who is a World Vision child my sister sponsors and fears is dead. Pray that he is rescued should his life have been spared. If he did die like so many have, pray for God’s peace in all those affected by his untimely death and yet rejoice in the fact that he knew Jesus and is with him now for all eternity. Shalom.
