Stand Firm in the Lord: Rejoice

Scripture Reading:

• Philippians 4:1 –

“Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm

thus in the Lord, my beloved.”

• Philippians 4:4 –

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice”

• Acts 5:40-41 –

“And when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not

to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing

that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name”

Thought:

If you are preparing for a tournament, you need to spend time practicing. That means sometimes

in situations that are not enjoyable. If you only practices on wide open courses, and when the weather is

perfect, you will have some preparation, but only in ideal circumstances. If the course has rough terrain,

or the weather is difficult, you will not be prepared. Practicing in all situations, good or bad, helps prepare

you for all situations in the tournament, which is the pay off.

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he had just encouraged them to strain toward the goal of the

upward call of Christ (Philippians 3:14). Now Paul is giving them advice on how to stand firm in where

they are in Christ. One way is to rejoice in the Lord. It does not say rejoice in good circumstances, but in

the Lord, which could be good or bad situations. An example of this is Peter and the Apostles being flogged

for proclaiming salvation through Jesus. This was a severe beating sometimes leading to death,. They

did this despite strong opposition from the most powerful people in their community. The Apostles

rejoicing despite their suffering give validity to the truth of the resurrection, since if there was anyone

who would know if Christ had not been raised, it would have been them. Their willingness to endure

suffering, meant they knew Christ was raised from the dead. They had eternal hope, beyond temporary

suffering, which was reason to rejoice in the Lord.

When we rejoice in the Lord, especially during difficult times, it puts the situation in perspective

by reminding us that God is in control. God has gotten many of us through difficult situations in the past

and will again. Often times we even end up in a better place than we would have been without having

gone through the stressful situation. The Lord does not always remove trials from our lives, but more

often walks with us through them, which is reason to rejoice in the Lord.

Reflection 1: What are difficult circumstances in the past that the Lord got me through? How does that

give me hope for the future?

Reflection 2: How can the Lord use me through my difficult circumstances to show others the hope only

He can provide?Day 1

Prayer: Lord, thank-you for all the times you have guided me through trials. I pray that by Your Holy Spirit,

You will enable me to rejoice in You through all circumstances, good or bad. In Christ’s name I pray.

Amen!

Contributed by: Dean Langenhahn | PDGA #208802