REJOICE ALWAYS

PHILLIPIANS 4:4-5

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Do we really think of Paul writing these letters as he was in PRISON?? He is telling the churches to be JOYFULL!!! But what an example he was showing them he has joy even in prison!! Because he was living for CHRIST return not a life of worldly pleasures.

4: 4-5   Ultimate joy comes from Christ dwelling within us. Christ will come again, and at his second coming we will fully realize this ultimate joy. He who lives within us will fulfill his final purposes for us.

4: 4   How strange that a man in prison could tell a church to rejoice. But Paul’s attitude teaches us an important lesson: Our outward circumstances do not need to dictate our inner attitudes. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus Christ was with him. Several times in this letter Paul urges the Philippians to be joyful, probably because they needed to hear this. It’s easy to get discouraged about unpleasant circumstances or to take unimportant events too seriously. If you haven’t been joyful lately, let the Holy Spirit remind you that true joy is found in the Lord and the promise of his second coming.

4: 5   We are to be gentle (reasonable, fair-minded, and charitable) to those outside the church, not just to fellow believers. This means we are not to seek revenge against those who treat us unfairly, nor are we to be overly vocal or demanding about our personal rights.Tyndale. NIV Life Application Study Bible

ON THE WAY HOME WALK WITH JESUS and live a life of joy so that others can see what a TRUE CHRISTIAN life looks like and what they could have in their acceptance of JESUS AS THEIR SAVIOR!!!

onthewayhomeministries.org by RICHARD DEAN BROOKS