Meeting 9/12/20
Phil. 3:1. "Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you."
Paul is writing to his fellow believers. The Holy Spirit has prompted him to give an imperative command to rejoice in the Lord! Note the exclamation point! We must note these punctuation marks as we read His Word. Sometimes we can miss the passion and power that's hidden in these passages if we don't pay close attention. Plus, the Jewish culture is very expressive and passionate. Maybe we would do well to let ourselves express the joy and thankfulness that is in our hearts. Maybe we could be real and genuine about being strong in the Lord that way.
So this is yet another command to rejoice in the Lord. I'm not sure how many times this comes up in scripture, but it's enough to realize its repetitiveness. I'm slowly catching on to the fact that I believe He wants us to rejoice in Him? And yet it's easy to find myself once again shuffling along, complaining or whining about all that is not right in the world. We need to lift our eyes heavenward more than we normally do. This world is not our home. We are heaven bound. The Lord has been good to us. Our future is secure. We need to trust and believe Him. We are called to dwell on His goodness and be positive in our faith. Let's tear ourselves away from all of the negativity in the world today and once again fix our eyes on the Author and Perfecter of our faith: Jesus Christ.
Paul knows he's repeating himself in giving this command. Now, I do the same thing, but mostly because I can't remember what I've said nowadays! No, besides our weak memories, he is making a giant point here. We are like sheep, prone to stray, and he knows there are many voices vying for our devotion. We need constant, daily reminders to stay on the right path. We have to be quite deliberate in our walk. Doing the things Jesus says just doesn't come naturally to us. No, it's a supernatural miracle of the Holy Spirit that allows us to do anything He says. But we have to deliberately surrender, submit, and deny ourselves to become vessels He can move in. Left to our own devices, gravity happens, and we just choose self and sinful nature, over and over again. It is only by the power of His Spirit that we can defy gravity and overcome our natural selves.
Rest in knowing that God knows us very well. He knows our weakness. He designed us that way, so we would rely and depend on His strength. He told us to even write His words on our foreheads and wear reminders so we could daily remember His truth. It is a safeguard for us, to prevent drift as well as sudden destruction. We need it as badly as we need clean air to breathe. I can picture young, Jewish boys sitting around a campfire with older relatives before settling in for the night. "Tell me that story again, Grandpa. I want to hear it again. It stirs my heart and inspires me to believe."
