“Finally,
my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.” Philippians 3:1 NKJV
The fifth church Paul wrote to was
the one at Philippi. God had given Paul a specific revelation to go to Philippi
and preach. His ministry was fruitful, which landed him in jail where God
further blessed his ministry with another entire family being saved. Then Paul
was kicked out of town. So what is the key word in Paul’s letter to this
church? Rejoice!
Paul really wanted the Church at
Philippi to know that circumstances don’t dictate our response to life – God
does. Whether Paul was down by the riverside seeing people be saved or being severely
beaten and thrown into the dungeon he knew that God was equally in both places.
Where God is rejoicing can take place. In this short book Paul says to
“rejoice” ten times. He declares his “joy” six times. Then he tells the church
to live in “thanksgiving” one time. All these words have the same root word for
rejoice. This little lesson needs to be taken to heart by every believer. Things go better with rejoicing.
Dear
Father, Thank You for being the author of our true joy. Amen.
You
can find more Abundant Grace devotions M-F on my website www.davidccraig.net. You will also find a number of excellent
Christian books there.
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