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- Rejoice in the Lord, All-Ways
Good Monday Morning! Hey, thanks for taking time to read today’s email! Post election, many are anxious about the next 4 years. No one knows what’s next, yet I pray in Christ you find peace and reason to rejoice - no matter what comes next 👍🏾👎🏽.
In doing some writing for an upcoming book I was reminded of a lady in our church who through a series of “tough stuff” came to rely on Philippians 4:6 as her life verse It was in her will and final instructions that I preach it at her funeral. [life verses: encapsulate one’s life and is a mainstay in life’s good/ bad times]
I first met her when I was asked to visit and pray with her before a major surgery. Months after the surgery it was revealed doctors had left a roll of gauze in her foot. Which after a 2nd surgery left her with nerve damage for life.
Years later, I officiated her wedding, then a few more years later, I walked with her through a painful divorce. Then, there was a terminal cancer diagnosis…
For 2 years my buddy chose to cling to hope she found in Philippians 4:6 more than what could’ve/should’ve been points of sadness.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
The red highlights are what her and I used to call “all in” words.They replace our excuses with strength to live by these powerful instructions. So here’s how these verses gave my friend strength instead of fear of her realities:
Rejoice in the Lord always. We can always and in all-ways choose to grab Christ centered perspective only found in the Lord. And Paul, the author of these verses, thought it was worth saying twice.
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. Every, every one? It seems easy to opt out of the everyone piece of this. But, the reminder is - the Lord is at hand.
I find myself in situations where I want to be angry, retaliate and set some stuff straight 😇. Instead, the encouragement is that I and we can be reasonable BUT only because the Lord is at hand.
Do not be anxious about anything. There’s a difference between don’t be anxious about a spider and don’t be anxious about terminal cancer… So for our impulse to exempt this verse from our personal anxieties, we get guidance on how we handle any of life’s anxieties:
by prayer AND supplication WITH thanksgiving let your requests be known - to God. Did I mention year after year this is among the top 3 most Googled verse.
And the peace of God. Again, nothing is held back. It’s not probably, maybe or let’s see if you can get peace. Instead it’s: Rejoice. Be reasonable. Don’t be anxious. AND without room for doubt or hesitation the peace of God will guard your hearts and mind in Christ, more than you can understand.
That’s it! Applying this as men we are asked, always and in all-ways to carry our weight and the weight of others too. Being in Christ doesn’t just magic wand away the realities we face. Yet I pray God continually gives you strength to Rejoice…
Have a great week in the Lord’s power! Our last newsletter was read by nearly 1,000 men. Please continue to share and encourage men to subscribe to receive the newsletter weekly.
Also drop any comments below, how do you deal with anxiety?
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