#DailyDevotion Happiness, Gentleness, & Peace In The LORD
Philippians 4:4–7
4Be happy in the Lord always! I’ll say it again: Be happy! 5Everyone should know how gentle you can be. The Lord is near. 6Don’t worry about anything, but in everything go to God, and pray to let Him know what you want, and give thanks. 7Then God’s peace, better than all our thinking, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
I guess we no longer know what it means to rejoice so the translator chose something we may be able to understand better which is to be happy. I still prefer to rejoice. Either way this isn’t the sort of thing I think we normally think about when we think of being happy. There are all sorts of things we do and chase after to feel happiness but I believe the core of what Paul is getting at is something we can have even when everything around us is collapsing. It is something we can feel when we lose our kids, disease is eating up our bodies, our finances are in the toilet, the wife and dog leave us, and if you’re a cowboy, you even lose your truck.
How can we have such happiness or rejoicing always? Because it is located not in ourselves or our circumstances but rather, as Paul says here, it is in the LORD. What the LORD Jesus Christ has done for us never changes. What Jesus does for us never changes. What Jesus has promised to give us and do for us never changes. Jesus overcame temptation for us. Jesus obeyed the Law for us. Christ suffered for us and died the death we deserve. His blood made atonement for our sins. His death ransomed us from death. His resurrection overcame death so we too will be raised from the dead. His ascension to the right hand of the Father lifted us to that spot as well. None of this changes with our temporary circumstances so we can be happy and rejoice in the Lord always.
Because of what Christ Jesus has done for us we can be gentle with other people. Everyone should be able to see that. We should be gentle because the LORD is near, that is to say his second coming. We don’t need to be wrathful or vengeful for that is not what Christ Jesus redeemed us for. If any of that is necessary, we can trust the LORD to take care of it. For now, we can be what he was in this world, gentle.
I’ve heard it said, prayer makes the burden lighter. So Paul tells us not to worry about anything. Jesus tells us the same in Matthew 6. God your Father knows what you need before you ask for it. So pray without being anxious or rather get rid of your anxiety with prayer. We pray so we know God knows what we need. Then we give thanks because we know our Father in heaven will take care of it in the way, manner, time, place, amount and the like which is best. His wisdom is greater than our. Paul promises work works all things out for good for those who love God and have been called according to his purpose. Baptism is where we find our assurance we have been called by God.
Rejoicing in the LORD, being gentle, and praying with thanksgiving will give us God’s peace which is better than all our thinking. God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. God’s peace is found in Christ Jesus and trusting in him.
Merciful God and Father, grant us such faith in Jesus we may always rejoice in him, be gentle to those around us, be relieved of anxiety and know your peace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.