REJOICE AND BE GENTLE

Philippians 4:4-5

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

4:4 It seems strange that a man in prison would be telling a church to rejoice. But Paul’s attitude teaches us an important lesson: Our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. 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 urged 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, you may not be looking at life from the right perspective.

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

4:5 We are to be gentle (reasonable, fair-minded, and charitable) to those outside the church, and 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 about our rights. Tyndale. Life Application Study Bible NIV.

Rejoice in the Lord always! That sounds like a command to me. Being joyful is something that can always be attributed to Jesus and His Spirit. Our human nature wants us to be mad, sad, angry, selfish and a list too long to write about. Our circumstances certainly influence our emotions and feelings. And when Satan can take your joy, he will have you wanting to do contrary to God’s will. And then joy leaves, anger comes, and gentleness disappears. Then you find yourself being short with the kids mad at employers or employees, even not wanting to go church.

ON THE WAY HOME WALK WITH JESUS and let joy and gentleness become a focus in your life with Jesus.

onthewayhomeministries.org by RICHARD DEAN BROOKS