Week 3
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice!”
The Christian life is based on God’s gracious dealings with us in Christ; we are saved through faith in the saving work of Christ, and we are safe in God’s providential care as we travel through the lonely and dusty roads of life. This is the foundation of our joy in the Lord. When we as Christians rejoice in the Lord, we rejoice in His saving work in our lives, we rejoice in the goodness of God dispensed through free sovereign grace, and we rejoice in the rich and abiding promises of God given to those who believe in and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because of all this, we Christians have joy in our sufferings and trials, we have joy in our heartaches and disappointments, and we are sustained by joy in our tragedies and persecutions. The joy we have in Christ is abundant, victorious, empowering, sustaining, and freeing. We are joyful because we are His!
Therefore, we must not live our lives on the basis of anything other than the life of Christ and the promises of the gospel. Riches and fortune come and go; health comes and goes. Life can be thrilling, exciting, fortunate, dark, dreary, or desperate. But no matter what life throws at us, the Christian rests under the safe shelter of God’s covenantal love, His providential oversight, and His redemptive certainties. We rejoice in happy providence, but we also rejoice in spite of hard and troublesome times.
How can the Christian be so assured during such challenging times? It is because of the riches we have in God’s grace, the wealth we have in God’s gospel promises, and the abundance we have in God’s loving provision. Nothing in this life can separate us from our God who mercifully chose to save us and draw us unto Himself. Nothing in this life can keep us from experiencing the greatest fulfillment of God’s gifts to us in Christ. He is with us every second we live on earth, and when we die, we go to be with Him forever in heaven. What more can we ask? All is well, because we belong to the God of heaven and earth.
Christian friend, do not turn your blessings into idols. Enjoy God’s blessings, but do not become arrogant because of them. Hold God’s material gifts with an open hand; He gave them to you, and He can take them away. But always be assured that your joy does not rest on your blessings, but in your blessed Savior. His love is worth everything, and His promise to you in the gospel is beyond comprehension in value.
If God sees fit in His wisdom to give you a rocky road upon which to walk, remember that He who saved you walks beside you. He will not abandon you or fail you. He is all you need; rest in Him and His loving provision for your life.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for all you have given to me. But thank You more for giving Yourself to me. You are my rich treasure, and I rejoice in You more than any great gifts that You give to me. I love You, I value You, and I will rejoice in You all through my life until I come home to heaven where I will rejoice in You forever. Amen.