THE CHOICE TO BE GLAD by Cathe Laurie “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4) Maybe it was the heavy fog that settled in overnight. Maybe it was the supermoon’s effect on my sleep. Maybe it was that only a few people showed up for my small group. Or maybe it was the never-ending barrage of political forecasts and subsequent conversations that made our future as a country seem as gloomy as the weather. Whatever it was … something made me feel weary and sad. Breaking Down Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4) This verse is a real all-timer, one that gets quoted in a multitude of situations. I’ve highlighted and underlined it in my Bible. I’ve read it a thousand times, memorized it long ago, and even quoted it more times than I can count. But I really needed to hear it again. You see, it wasn’t only that the Philippians were having a bad day; that would be one thing. But the situation Paul was facing when he wrote this was full of mess. It would be hard for one of us to even pinpoint a positive part of his life at that point. As he writes to the church in Philippi, he’s sitting in chains in a Roman prison, condemned to death, and nothing he can say will change that. Even the generous donation the Philippians sent him won’t mitigate his sentence. But Paul says again: Rejoice. The cheap version of this is to pretend it’s all fine: I’ve got Jesus, so nothing hurts. But Paul is living out almost the opposite: Everything hurts, but I’ve got Jesus. Paul provides a list of some excellent things to rejoice in: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of commendable … think about these things” (Phil. 4:8) The verb at the end of the verse changes throughout the translations, but the original Greek word logizesthai means to think continually, to contemplate, and to implant them in your heart. One of my favorite translations of the word is “dwell.” Paul is telling the Philippians to count their blessings and live in that space of gratitude and praise. To dwell in the promises of the Lord and His great love for us. The Choice We Make Friends, our minds will find something to focus on. Either we can be consumed by the evil, the anxiety, the mess of it all, or we can rejoice in what is positive and what God has promised to us. So, on those days when we feel the aches and hurts deeply, we must focus our hearts on things and see how beautiful they’re supposed to be. How beautiful they will be, one day. God knows evil is real enough—so real you can stew in it if you choose, fondling your hurts and wallowing in misery. That void will suck you in deep if you let it. OR you can take hold of your mind, turning it instead to the goodness of God. Will you dwell on the darkness you see, or will you choose to think continually on good and establish your heart firmly in the Lord? Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Thanksgiving baskets! November 22 BlessingWe had a great workday with our Young Adult Ministry (YAM) at Habitat for Humanity! Thank you to everyone who served! Great day with Illuminate Women’s Conference!
This month I have been sharing a lot about fresh starts and setting goals for the new year. Here are some KEYS to help us be successful in sticking with our goals. These are helping me and I hope they will help you, too.
KEY #1: PRAY FIRST. Before you commit to anything, spend some time asking God: “What areas of my life do I need to focus on during the upcoming year?” Let Him guide you to what resolutions to make, and ask Him to help you follow through. KEY #2: MAKE REALISTIC RESOLUTIONS. Many of the resolutions I made over the years were embarrassingly unrealistic. I think that is why I didn’t make them “stick.” Don’t make that same mistake. Instead, aim for targets you can reasonably hit in a year—perhaps memorize one scripture verse a month, share the Gospel with one neighbor, walk or run a 5K before you tackle a marathon, show up and help serve at one in-reach or outreach opportunity. KEY #3: MAKE SPECIFIC RESOLUTIONS. “I will spend 15 minutes in God’s Word every morning at 6 a.m.” is way better than “I will spend more time reading the Bible.” If you want to lose weight, set a specific, numeric goal, as well as a date you plan to reach that goal. KEY #4: MAKE A PLAN. A resolution without a plan is like a car without fuel. It will get you nowhere. Want to lose weight? Or just want to get healthier? Then figure out your workout and nutritional plan. How many times are you going to exercise every week and what types of exercise will you do? How are you going to get more heathy foods in your diet this year? Want to go deeper in your relationship with God and others? Maybe you are already doing that by participating in the Dynamite Prayer book with many others in our church family. Maybe you are joining in a covenant discipleship group on Wednesday nights at KFUMC or during the week with others. KEY #5: MAKE SPIRIT EMPOWERMENT YOUR BIGGEST RESOLUTION. When you’re filled with Christ, everything else falls in line. The fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22–23 will be evident in your life. If you’re producing the fruit of the Spirit, you’re going to have great relationships (love, peace, patience, kindness), not overeat or overspend (self-control), and exhibit a more positive attitude (joy). It’s hard to imagine a successful resolution that’s not covered by the fruit of the Spirit. So, if we make being filled with the Spirit part of our daily routine, everything else will take care of itself. KEY #6: GET AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER. The Navy Seals have a saying they use during their super-high-intensity training: “Get a swim buddy!” Seals in training need someone to push them when they’re slow, temper them when they’re rash, and help them when they’re in danger of drowning. For Navy Seals, it’s a serious offense to get caught without your swim buddy. What’s true of the Seals is true of the believer. We need “swim buddies” in our ocean of busyness. I count on my “swim buddies,” and I encourage you to find one or two of your own. I hope and pray that these six keys will help me and you make and keep better resolutions this year—all for the glory of God! A HUGE thank you to Regan and Stephanie Land and K&R Heating and Cooling for contributing to the All Faith Build at Habitat for Humanity on Saturday! |
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