Reason To Rejoice

Reason To Rejoice Philippians 4:4-7 I once heard about a woman who kept a little box in her kitchen that she called her "Worry Box." Whenever something troubled her, she would write it down on a small piece of paper and put it in the box. She promised herself that she would not think about her problems as long as they were in the box. This allowed the woman to put her troubles out of her mind because she knew they could be dealt with later. Sometimes, she would take out a slip of paper and read the concern she had written. Because she was not anxious but relaxed, she could better find the solution to her problem. But many times, she discovered that the worry she once stuffed inside that box no longer existed. Writing your worries on paper and placing them in a box may be helpful, but how much better is it to put your worries in the hands of God. Worry robs us of joy, stunts our spiritual growth, drains us of energy, and dishonors God. That's why Jesus said, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34). Let's begin today, right now, to believe the Lord's promises and trust Him to meet our needs. Placing our problems in His hands is much better than stuffing them inside a worry box. When you trust and believe in the Lord in all areas of your life, your frustration, fear, restlessness, and everything else fades away in the Light of Christ. I didn't write it, but there's a poem that goes, "Never a trial that He is not there, Never a burden that He does not bear; Never a sorrow that He does not share - Moment by moment, I'm under His care." If you get out of your own way and bow before Jesus with an open heart, allowing Him to help control your emotions, you're placing yourself in the position to "Rejoice in the Lord always," as today's Scripture says because you're under His care. Remember, the apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote this, and you may be wondering how you can rejoice while in prison or when anything negative happens. Well, look at today. We've faced a lot of negative this year, both individually and together. Probably the biggest thing we've faced, and are still facing, is COVID. Many of us were in our own prisons at home, and I'm sure all of us are tired of all the restrictions, both for the church and out in the community. It's easy to become frustrated and to have those frustrations build up over time. But Paul's attitude teaches us an important lesson for today, that our inner attitudes don't have to reflect our outward circumstances. COVID is horrible! Some people have suffered more than others, and I'm not trying to downgrade their feelings. But we still have Reason To Rejoice. Did you know that when most everyone was homebound, our air got cleaner and our water became safer to drink. It also brought people together in different ways because it forced us into a new situation, just like how Paul was forced into a new situation. Paul didn't want to be in prison, but that's where he found himself. Think of church. We started online worship. We have been able to meet outside in the beauty of God's creation. So as far as church goes, you may be or have been upset about how the church has handled everything, but what did you really lose? You didn't lose worship because you can worship anywhere at any time. You didn't lose service because we had worship service online. When we met together outside, you didn't miss the church building. During most of this year, the church building has done nothing but gather the chairs we used to sit on outside. But that's what a church building is; it's a place to gather because you are the church! Even when Paul was in prison and couldn't gather with fellow Christians, Paul was still full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus Christ was with him. It's because Jesus is with you, that you can face even death with confidence, because Jesus conquered death! The Bible continually urges us to be joyful because we all need to hear this, don't we? No matter how good your life is going, there is always something that's not perfect. There's always something that could be better. You might have all your crayons in a box, except one, and it's always the one you need. It's easy to get discouraged in unpleasant and unplanned circumstances. It's easy to let fear, frustration, and sadness take over. And in the worst of circumstances, you might feel conquered by your feelings, but remember that Jesus has conquered and overcome. Pain and sadness will hurt; just remember that Jesus is with you. If you haven't been joyful lately, try looking at life from a different perspective, a heavenly one. Then, and only then, can you "Rejoice in the Lord always." Not sometimes. Not in only certain situations. Not just at certain times. But always. It's probably one of the hardest lessons to learn because it takes all the control out of your hands and into God's, but it's a lesson so important that Paul repeated himself, "I will say it again: Rejoice!" You can rejoice because, as verse 5 says, "The Lord is near." It's because "The Lord is near," that you can be known for your gentleness. Living with Reason To Rejoice means you must "Let your gentleness be evident to all," as today's Scripture teaches. Being gentle means you're not quick to anger. It means you think about your actions and how others will perceive your actions and your words. Being gentle means you don't make fun of others or do anything to hurt or downgrade them. The opposite of gentleness is most seen during the election year when political candidates are constantly bashing each other. It's rarely about the issues; rather, it's about who can make the other person look the worst. Even Facebook is filled with people bashing and making fun of people. And this year with COVID, we've seen many people be anything but gentle. We all have ideas of what being gentle means. But I'm going to give you the Biblical definition of what it means to be gentle. In verse 5, the Greek word used for gentleness "EP - EE - I - KAS" means moderation, appropriate, and patient. When you "Let your gentleness be evident to all," you're living a balanced life. You have self-control because you're allowing yourself to be under God's control. Your actions are appropriate for any situation because you know that God has every situation under His divine hand. Being gentle means patience, even during those prison moments that we all share in common with Paul. Being gentle and patient doesn't mean you can't react to a situation, but it means you act in a way that glorifies Christ because you call yourself a Christian. This year has been a true test of patience, so how well did you score? The year's not over. COVID is not over. Times of trials are not over. So you had better learn gentleness and patience, and the only place to do that is by opening God's Word, not just to read it, but to apply it to every situation in life. You have Reason To Rejoice because "The Lord is near," and He gives you patience and gentleness when you become closer to Him. This means that because the Lord is with you, you don't have to be anxious anymore. This is great news because anxiety is a global problem and one that we will all suffer from at some point in life. It's estimated that 264 million people currently suffer from an anxiety disorder. 31% of Americans are diagnosed with anxiety, and last year 20% of Americans sought professional help for their anxiety. It's a real problem, but God has a real solution; Prayer. Verse 6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Just imagine never being "anxious for anything!" It seems impossible because we all have worries. Worries about our jobs, our families, our schools, our health. Worries are everywhere, but so is God. And Paul is not saying don't worry because we all face legitimate worry in life. What the Bible is saying is to turn those worries into prayers. Do you want to worry less? Then pray more! Whenever you start to worry, start to pray. Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. When you worry, you're just paying interest on nothing, so invest in prayer time in God. One pastor once said, "When you get wrinkled with care and worry, it's time to have a faith lift." That faith lift is knowing "The Lord is near," giving you a Reason To Rejoice when you learn gentleness from Him. There are many farms around here, and it reminds me of an old farmer who plowed around a large rock in his field for years. He had broken one cultivator and two plowshares by hitting it, and every time he saw that obstacle, he grumbled about how much trouble that rock had caused. One day he had enough and decided to dig it up and finally be done with it. Putting a large crowbar under one side, he found to his surprise that the rock was only about one foot thick. Soon he had it pulled out and was carting it away in his wagon, smiling as he thought how that "big" old rock had caused him so much frustration. Not every trouble can be removed as easily as that one stone, but prayer is an effective way to handle difficulties of any size. Using the leverage of prayer when you face problems keeps you from becoming victims of worry. Prayer can often feel frustrating - like when you go to a vending machine, put your money in, push a button, and nothing comes out. But thinking of prayer like that causes us to miss how prayer actually works. God wants us to make our "requests, our petitions, with thanksgiving." But when you have a problem and it isn't going away, giving thanks isn't at the top of your list. But Paul is telling us to give thanks, not for the problem itself, but for the God we are inviting into our specific problem. Offering thanks to God is a demonstration of your faith in God's goodness and provision despite what you see. When you pray, knowing "The Lord is near," you'll have the "peace of God," as verse 7 says, "which transcends all understanding and will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus." In other words, you'll experience calm during the chaos. You'll know that God heard your prayer, not necessarily because your problem is solved, but because of the peace that God gives you. It's a peace beyond our human comprehension, but nevertheless, it "guards your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." A while ago, there was a man who wanted to see the perfect picture of peace. He searched around at paintings that illustrated peace, but no painting satisfied his desire to see peace. So he announced a painting contest to produce a masterpiece of peace. Painters everywhere entered this contest, all painting what they reasoned was an illustration of peace. As the judges examined each painting, they narrowed it down to only two. The first painting was of a mirror-smooth glassy lake that reflected the green trees surrounding this peaceful paradise. The soft amber sky was brilliant with color, and along the grassy shore was a flock of sheep grazing undisturbed. Surely, this painting is the winner. But the other painting still had to be presented. The second painting showed a wild and noisy waterfall cascading down jagged rocks. Stormy gray and black clouds threatened to explode at any time with lighting, wind, and rain. Amid the thundering noises, a bitter chill could be seen. And there, next to the waterfall, a spiny tree clung to the jagged rocks at the edge of the waterfall. And on one of the trees branches, a little bird had built a nest. Content and undisturbed in the stormy surroundings, that bird rested upon her eggs. And with her eyes closed and her wings covering her eggs, that bird demonstrated peace that transcends all earthly turmoil. True peace is not found in positive thinking, good feelings, or the absence of trouble. It comes from knowing that God is in control. Your Reason To Rejoice is found in the Joy of the Lord. Joy shapes our language and our vision. Joy is revealed in everything we do, in who we are, in our attitudes, and in the face we offer the world to see. You have Reason To Rejoice, it's the joy and peace of Christ, but does the world see your reason? AMEN 2