Advent 3: Epistle, Philippians 4:4-7                                           

Philippians 4:4-7

“Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, Rejoice” (Phil. 4:4). So begins our reading today. I find it a declaration that brings delight on some days, while on others, perhaps a shrug of the shoulders accompanied by a, “yeah, not today.” Why? I think, because like dear old Dr. Mitchell used to say, “We’ve all got good forgetters.” How might that be applied here?

Just a bit further on in our reading Paul says in effect, “Don’t fret.” Remember, he pleads, the Lord is near, at hand. Jesus, our Creator and Savior, walks alongside us. In fact, He is in us. The Lord is near. As Paul encourages prayers of all kinds and the giving of thanks, it is all tied to the security of knowing that wherever we find ourselves, and in whatever situation, Jesus is close by and has everything under control.

The result is true peace. That wonderful peace of God of which the world has no clue. And walking in that peace has only one result: JOY!

It grieves me at times that so few Christians (me included) exhibit ongoing joy. And there’s a reason: we have given away our peace because we forget that Christ is near. Oh so near. Today, Christian, REJOICE! And tomorrow, and the day after that. We are never beyond the touch of the Master, and never, ever beyond His gaze. REJOICE!