Today we’ll continue with some of your favorites (or the passages you have questions about). Email (andy@stm-umc.org) or message me with any passages you’d like added or that you have a question about!

Today we are looking at Philippians 4: 4-8: 

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

We are going to take two days to break down this passage because there is so much good stuff here. I want to look at verses 4-7 today, and we’ll look at verse 8 tomorrow.  

Today, we look at the first part of this passage. Today we see Paul’s word of encouragement; rejoice! The word rejoice here means to be glad, to be filled with joy. This is a word of great abundance, a word that implies and that tells us to be exceedingly overwhelmed with great joy. The kind of joy you’d feel at a moment of victory, a birth, a conversion, something amazing and life changing.  

That is what Paul is calling us to do in this passage. That is what Paul calls us to do. 

And here is the thing about Paul at the moment he is writing this. He is in prison. He is not a free man. He has had hard times. Why? Because he has been faithful to Jesus. His faithfulness has him in prison. His faithfulness has caused him to suffer, to have a great loss.  

Despite what has happened to him and the pain he has suffered, what does he call the people to do? Rejoice. Have joy. Do not be anxious. Pray. Give it to Jesus, and His peace will guard our hearts in Jesus.  

He has joy. We can have joy. Not because of circumstance or what is happening. We can have joy because of Jesus. Jesus’ love, Jesus’ peace, Jesus’ strength, this gives us joy. Not our circumstances or what is happening in our lives. But Jesus. Jesus gives us peace. 

Jesus gives us joy. 

Jesus causes us to rejoice. So, have joy today, rejoice today, no matter what you are going through. Because if you have Jesus, you have all that you need. Today, let’s rejoice; let’s be people of great joy. Because our God is good!  

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