Tuesday, November 21, 2023
Rejoice Always – Philippians 4 Submitted by Kay Crumley
Each time I read verse 4 the chorus comes into my mind that we have sung many times. I hope the tune comes to mind for you as you read the lyrics.
Rejoice in the Lord always
And again I say, and again I say
Rejoice, Rejoice and again I say Rejoice.
Rejoice in the Lord always
And again I say, and again I say Rejoice.
Now that I have gotten that stuck in your head, you can spend the day humming or singing and Rejoicing.
Paul had written to the church in Philippi and was ending his letter to them in Chapter 4. In the opening verses he exhorted them to stand firm in the Lord and to get along with each other, to be of the same mind in the Lord. We ‘stand firm in the Lord’ by being secure in our belief and not to be easily swayed to beliefs that do not align with His Word. But how are we to be ‘of one mind’? We are to be ‘on the same page’, think the same way in what we believe and how we act to glorify God. We are to be unified because we are on one team, the body of Christ. Our mission is to glorify God and reflect Him to the world around us.
Then, as a unified body of believers, how are we to live? Paul gives us some guidelines in the verses we are focusing on today.
Philippians 4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 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.
We have already touched on verse 4, Rejoice, when? Always. We rejoice because we believe in God’s promises. We are commanded to rejoice; we can always choose to praise the Lord. Our feelings should never prevent us from rejoicing, praying, giving thanks, showing respect, or acting kindly. Biblical joy has to do with stability and celebration on the inside regardless of circumstances on the outside. We rejoice in His promises, He never fails. Our interactions are to be with gentleness, showing grace, because He is always near.
Rather than waste our time worrying about our circumstances, we are to pray. We take all our requests to Him with thanksgiving knowing He will hear and answer our prayers. The more we worry the less we pray but the more we pray the less we worry. Offering thanks is a demonstration of faith in God’s goodness and provision. The peace we have in Him doesn’t make sense to the world; it surpasses understanding. The peace of God surrounds our minds and heart when we surrender our fears and worries to Him.
We hold on to that peace by what we set our minds on. Paul tells us, in verse 8, to put our minds on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy. Those are things of God, not of the world. Satan is the father of lies and wants to steal our joy and peace. We must focus on the truth of our Father.
Paul is encouraging them to learn from his teaching. He declared, in 1 Cor 2:2, that he would only teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have the luxury of having a copy of His Word and can always find His teaching, the truth. We must then put that knowledge into practice. We must live out the teaching by exemplifying His character. The result is that we will always know the peace that only God can give, that peace is beyond anything the world understands.
That is the reason for giving thanks all year. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad in Him every day.
