Rejoice in the Lord Always (Philippians 4:4)

I'm trying something new here. I'm gonna record it. All right, cool. So, now I'm I recorded th Just so you guys know, we'll start here in a second. I recorded Thursdays. I just did it on my iPhone for right now, and I put it up on our website, 9 I haven't put up on our website. Take that back. I'm going to be putting it up on the website, but it's on the YouTube channel, which is 915 devotional. And so until I get AI set up to grab them automatically from there and put them on the website, they'll be on the YouTube channel 915 devotional. So I'm trying to do both things today.

I'm trying to record it on on Zoom and then also record it on my camera. I'll see which one works out better and we'll go from there. So all right. So in saying that, when I go to record on Zoom, I usually looking at everyone. But when I do this, it it does this thing where it pins me and so I see my big face on the screen instead of seeing all of you. and and I have to scroll through, so I I don't see everybody in one shot, so I apologize. But all right, so let's let's with all that out of the way, let's get started. Hopefully everybody had a great weekend.

I hope everybody had a good day at church yesterday. Um uh I was I uh well I guess I did have a conversation with my wife this morning and she sent me a a a text in response to it and and the scripture that she quoted which I felt was really good and uh would be important for I'm sure there's somebody in this call today who needs to hear it and it's uh it's in Philippians and so this is Paul and he's writing this letter to the church at Philippi and a very interesting and very specific detail is that he's writing this letter from prison. So, let's let's remember that he's he's in prison.

Uh, again, prison back in that day, probably not like prison today. I don't I don't know that Paul had a pillow. I'm pretty sure they didn't have indoor electricity or plumbing. Probably a very different process. Uh, there was probably no commissary and and and conjugal visits. Not that Paul, but the prison back there in that part of the country is about the same. There you go. All right. All right. So, so I digress. So, let me read the text. So Paul says in in uh in chapter 4 and in verse four so 44 he says rejoice in the Lord always. I say again rejoice.

So uh let's break it out. So the command here is to rejoice in the Lord. It's not to rejoice in the circumstance. So so joy and happiness two very different things. Happiness is an emotion that's temporary and we feel it when our child just graduates tomorrow. That feeling is probably not anywhere near as strong or as high. Uh that feeling when we we we have that first kiss with someone that we're that we we we feel something for whatever it might be. Happiness is a temporary feeling. And so the text doesn't say uh be happy in circumstance or be joyful in circumstances.

It says, "Rejoice in the Lord always." That's where our joy comes from. So, what does that mean? That means, and I'll give an example. Uh, I got a flat tire. Praise God. I got a flat tire. Thank you, Lord. Well, why on earth am I thanking God? because it's 95° out and I'm going to get out of this truck and I'm going to be sweaty nasty mess changing this tire because that flat tire may have kept me from either running into somebody or from somebody running into me. I I have no idea. But but that has nothing to do with happiness. That has to do with where my joy is.

And I know that at this point in time I need to praise God. Why? Because the text says, "Rejoice in the Lord always." Not just when I got a promotion. Not just when I bought the new car. Not just when my daughter graduated. Not Not It's not just in the Not just in the times that you like life. He wants us to rejoice always. I know that sometimes people will say, "Well, well, you don't understand my situation." No, I don't. I don't. I don't know what your situation is, but I do know who does know intimately what your situation is. And that's our that's our father in heaven.

And he is commanding us to have joy always. Why? Because this is temporary. That's eternal. He wants us to be reliant upon him. He wants us to thank him for all circumstances, not just the moments when we're laughing and joking and having a good time. All those things build character. All those things build perseverance. And so Paul from prison writes this one verse. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again. And why? Because Paul knew he'd get push back. Paul knew people were like, "Ah, this guy's is he really mean always?" Well, if you were doubting it, he repeats it.

I will say it again. rejoice because that's what he wants us to do. Uh rejoicing rejoicing isn't denying the hardship. He he's he's not saying I'm just going to not look at it and I'm just going to pretend it doesn't exist. That's not what he's saying. What what he's saying is when when we when we give God joy, we're we're posturing a reordering of of what our priorities are. It's not we're just thinking about how this is impacting me today. It's giving God the the glory for wherever we're at right now in this current moment in this current situation.

And why? Because we know that when we walk in faith, we walk by his power and not by our power. All right. Thoughts, comments, suggestions? Thank you. You're welcome. Anybody else? Spot on. All right. So, m mic drop. Um All right. Anybody else? We It's 9:22. I know this was a short verse and and there there's not a whole lot of theology to this one verse, but but interestingly enough, this this is a bookend. So if when we go on and and we're not going to do uh six and seven but but this is a book end. This is the left side of the book. This is hey have joy.

In the middle of this is prayer and supplication and thanksgiving. And at the other book end becomes the peace that surpasses all understanding. So if we will remember to give joy in all circumstances, pray, have a conversation with God, tell him what our needs are, then amazingly we find that that peace that no one can explain comes along with that. So this is a book end. This is the left side. Peace becomes the right side with a whole lot of prayer in the middle. All right, anybody else? Last call. I have a couple of of thoughts. One is thank God you have a truck.

Uh you actually have a truck to have a flat tire. I used to always think that when I had to mow my lawn, thankfully I have a lawn to mow. Um, you know, that's that thought that came to mind for me. And I think the other thought that would come to mind is especially if there's somebody else that witnessed it happening or was with you, you could show them piece of Christ. Um, actions are always so much better than our words, aren't they? That is so true. Amen. Yeah. So gratitude, I think, is what you're what you're really saying is that when we when we when we look at the the gratitude for where we're at, I think maybe at that point it becomes uh maybe that catalyst to understanding this is real joy, you know, because yeah, hey, I I I got a truck to drive.

There's some people that don't have a car right now. I I've been there. I know what that's like. And so, yeah, I'm thankful and I and I and I I do try. Uh, and again, Jimmy talked about this on Thursday, this this maturation process, this maturing in the word. And, uh, and so, we have to be reminded, you know, my wife reminded me of that this morning. You know, God puts those people in our lives. Um, you know, if I'm a guy, it doesn't have to be another guy. I know that iron sharpens iron, but it it doesn't say the iron's always a man. Sometimes it's your spouse.

Sometimes it's your kid. Sometimes your child or a co-orker will remind you of some things that you need to remember in what your walk is supposed to look like. And so I hope everybody has that in their lives. If you don't, certainly pray for it. All right. Well, then let's uh if anybody else cool, let's bow our heads. Let's pray this out and get our week going. Father, thank you so much for today. Yes, that that uh that attitude of gratitude. Father, thank you for waking us up this morning. uh that certainly wasn't promised to us, but you gave it to us.

And so, Lord, I just pray that each of us would honor you and glorify you this entire day because of that, that we would rejoice in you always, no matter what the circumstance. Father, we know that that you love us. And if we remember that love thinks no evil, you have our best interests in heart and in mind, regardless of what our eyes currently see. And so, Lord, I pray that we would just remember that always. Not easy to do. We talked about that on Thursday, trying to love your enemy and and do good to somebody. And this is kind of one of those things, Father, that's tough for us in our sinful nature to see something that with our eyes says we should complain, but knowing in our heart we should rejoice.

And so, Lord, uh just allow the Holy Spirit to give us that check when it happens to know that there's a better way to to handle this. There's a better way to process this, and that is simply to rejoice in you. So, Father, watch over us today. guide us, direct us, uh give us an opportunity, as he said, to be a witness for somebody, even if it's just in the good deed that we did, holding the door open or asking someone how they're feeling today. Father, we thank you, we love you, we praise you, and as always, in your son, Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Amen. All right, all see you guys tomorrow, same time. Thank you. Have a blessed day. God bless. Thank you. Thanks.

Transcript generated from the recording and lightly edited for readability.