“Finally my brethren, Rejoice in The Lord. To write the same thing again is no trouble to me,and it is a SAFEGUARD TO YOU.”- Phil 3:1
The Battle is for your Mind; The fight is to keep your morale up in the battle. Paul shows us how in Philippians through CHOOSING to REJOICE…DELIGHT in the LORD!
For some Rejoicing is pointless a waste of time, not relevant when life gets tough and stress’s are real. The purpose of rejoicing in the Lord, ultimately is because He is worthy- its for Him primarily. We often show our selfish motives “but,what’s in it for me? What do I get out of it?” And if we perceive, we will receive nothing out if it- then we often don’t rejoice in The Lord because we don’t value Him enough to obey Him, and our hearts are revealed to us in such testing times of how little value we truly place on Jesus Christ. It is to say, “this is all about me!”Such attitudes give away the sin- that we miss the target of what life is truly to be about- Jesus Christ! It also reveals the spiritual ignorance that leads to despair and despondency .
Rejoicing is a command it is not optional. It is a question of Love. “He who has My commandments and obeys them, he it is who LOVES Me” {John 14:21. We choose to obey to express our love for Him who first loved us! We obey His Word, not that we might “gain” His favor but because He is worthy and we have His favor through Jesus Christ! Rejoicing not for rejoicing sake but “…in the LORD.” In who He is- His character, promises, sovereignty, power and love for you.
In The Lord, there is ample reason to find delight. Paul said in chapter one the Lord, is AFFECTIONATE, in chapter 2- He is RISEN LORD, in chapter 3 – HE IS COMING AGAIN – in chapters 4, He is the Source of STRENGTH AND CONTENTMENT…So we can personalize this and find reasons for Delight in Jesus Christ who is Affectionate to us, Who is Risen Lord in whom all things are in submission to Him and He is Coming Again and He can be known as our Strengthener and Contentment who satisfies us amidst difficult times.
Paul wrote this letter while chained around the clock in prison. Read through The four chapters underlining the words “joy, rejoicing,” and see what Paul chooses to rejoice in The Lord for. Incorporate the reasons into your prayer life. Will it make things better? It will give you reasons to be obedient and in doing so express your love to Him (John 14:21) – and cause your morale and that of those around you to be reminded of Him!
The word, “SAFEGUARD” literally means, “not to trip, stumble or BE OVERTHROWN.” How do we keep morale up? Choosing to Rejoice in the Lord. This involves CHOOSING to THINK ON The Lord, Trust in The Lord, DELIGHT IN THE LORD, and In doing so, will keep us from being OVERTHROWN by unpleasant feelings in unpleasant circumstances.
WHY REJOICE?
Because He commands it!
Because It Expresses Love to Him.
Because it is a Safeguard for your good!
Choose to Think, Trust in Jesus Christ and BE GLAD, REJOICE in Him!
{From the message,”How To Keep Morale Up.”}