When you hear another Christian say something inspiring about their joy in the Lord, do you sometimes think: “Well, they wouldn’t feel that way if they had my problems.”
I suppose we all feel that way at times, but the joyful person might just have problems worse than ours. They may be refusing to let their problems control them by focusing on Christ.
In Christ, there’s always reason to rejoice!
Years ago, to remind myself of this truth, I memorized the book of Philippians. It’s the only whole book I’ve ever memorized, but I am so glad I did.
Do you know Paul's circumstances when he wrote Philippians? He was:
⮞ In prison.
⮞ In chains (1:13).
⮞ Slandered and harassed (1:15-17).
But this short book reveals Paul’s joy and encourages us to rejoice (1:4; 1:18; 1:25; 2:2; 2:17-18; 2:29; 3:1: 4:1; 4:4).
I’m currently dealing with some of the most difficult problems of my life—but I’m not in prison, in chains for Christ, with false teachers slandering me. If Paul could rejoice in those circumstances, I can rejoice in mine.
One purpose of the book of Philippians is to assure us that no matter our circumstances, we can turn our sorrows into joy in our Lord.
Bible Love Notes
Very nice...thank you! It's time to re-read Philippians!
ReplyDeleteThank you Gail. I'm praying for you today.
ReplyDeleteSuch a timely post in such awful circumstances, not only in our countries but around the 🌎 world. So thank you very much as it makes me grateful for what I have and not focus o on my illness..💓
ReplyDelete