Philippians 4:8
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.
As Christians, when we begin to live in this joy – because of the nearness of God, and through prayer and thanksgiving; God’s greater plan becomes activated in our lives. Not only do the concerns of our lives no longer become stresses or worries, and not only are we able to deal with those concerns with responsibility, gentleness, flexibility and nobility, this joy overflows to the world around us. This joy – this rejoicing – is not only an inward activity, but it becomes a public declaration.
In rejoicing in the midst of our life concerns, we can become that friend to a brother or sister who is buried under stress. We can be the friend who affirms that God is near, and in doing so we find that we are stepping into God’s greater and grander design. We are stepping into his plans, into His story.
Prayer:
Let’s ask that God’s joy would be put into practice in our lives, and that they would overflow not just so we can navigate the concerns of our life, but that we may be of service to all the people God brings into our lives. May we be as Paul was to the Philippian church.
Let’s worship to the song “Alive In You” (click here) by Jesus Culture and Kim Walker Smith.
-WW