TUESDAY

Nov 8, 2022
2 min read

Lord, I seek You today as I try to determine what’s missing in my life. I enjoy reading the Bible and praying, but is there something else You want me to do?

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The word rejoice is made up of two parts: “re” which simply means to do it again, and “joice” which means to be filled with joy. To rejoice is to be filled with joy again. To do this always requires me not to stop doing it. The minute I stop rejoicing, I have reverted to my own thinking.

How do I rejoice? First, let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Rejoicing is an outward expression of God’s power. Gentleness is meekness, or strength under control. Rejoicing is making the choice to display God’s power in a very humble, but powerful manner, and reflecting His power back to Him. He is like the sun; I am like the moon. Just as the moon’s purpose is to reflect the sun, my purpose is to reflect God’s Son. Additionally, I don’t need to look for His power, because the Lord is near. In fact, He is in my heart—He is so near I can feel His presence. When I feel His presence, my heart is filled with joy—again!

Also included in rejoicing is not being anxious. To be anxious, literally, is to be disunited. When I am anxious, I am disunited from the Holy Spirit’s purpose in my life. I have already made up my mind on the subject, and I have chosen to be anxious rather than to believe God is in control. Instead of being anxious, Paul tells me I am to unite with the Spirit in prayer. To enter prayer with the right attitude, I need to come to God with thanksgiving—for what He has done, for what He is doing, and for what He is about to do. When I do that, my heart fills with joy—again!

If I rejoice, then the passage states I will get something. My heart will be filled with so much peace that I won’t understand it. This peace has a purpose: it will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS: If rejoicing leads to peace, then I want to do this all the time! In fact, that’s Paul’s prescription: Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS. Always is the number of times per day we are to take the prescription—it’s a unit of time. And if I do, then I will begin to be healed…the peace of God will guard my heart and mind, so I will think and understand things differently—from God’s eternal perspective instead of the earth’s temporal perspective. Am I following my prescription to heal my heart?

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman