Rejoice in the Lord Always

There is a lady at my church, she has MS. I have known this woman for 13 years. When she first started attending our church she could walk. She than got pregnant with her son 2 years later and was falling all the time. This is how they found out she had MS. During her pregnancy they had to put her in a wheel chair so she would not hurt herself or the baby. (She never complained, never asked why me) after the birth of her son, she never walked again. She has been in a wheel chair now for 11 years. This woman is only 40. I have never heard this woman every say "why me". She is now at the point; her husband has to have someone come in to talk care of her and her children. This woman always has a smile on her face. She is not robbed of joy. She told me she is willing to go through whatever the Lord has for her. She doesn't worry about it or complain.

I complain because I am getting old and I can't see my caller ID on my cell phone. All I have to do is go get glasses. This woman is bound to this wheel chair, not only that she can't take care of herself or her family. Yet she is always full of joy not worry for what will happen to her.

I am going to go help This family on Friday prepare enough meals to get them through a month. this helps her husband to be able to come home from work and just heat something up for the family.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Phillippians 4:4-9

Spiritually, worry is Wrong Thinking of the Mind and Wrong Feeling of the Heart. The heart and the mind are the two areas that create worry. It's wrong thinking and wrong feeling about circumstances, people and things... These things can rob us of joy.


I love Philippians 4. It has to be my favorite chapter in all the Bible. It is so upbeat and positive. Paul is rejoicing all over the place. Even when Paul addresses a problem in verses 2 and 3 between two ladies, Euodia and Syntyche, he does it so lovingly. Don't you wish everyone would learn to correct our mistakes this lovingly? Paul "entreats" these ladies to agree in the Lord and he asks the church to help them. I suspect these women were missing out on right prayer, right thinking and/or right living. They were robbing themselves of a Secure mind. And they weren't ready to Rejoice.

I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Philippians 4:2-3

Philippians 4 is often called the PEACE chapter. James 4 is called the WAR chapter. If you look in James 4 you'll see the contrast. He explains the causes of war are: 1) Wrong PRAYING (verse 3), 2)Wrong THINKING (verse 8), and 3) Wrong LIVING (verse 7). That's not too surprising is it? If right praying, right thinking and right living are going to bring about peace and security of mind, then it's not surprising that the opposite would bring about war and unrest and fightings among us.

As I come to the end of this post. I want to remember, I need to have right thinking, and right praying. (Not selfish) I want to live my life the right way. I want and need victory over worry and the lack of joy that goes along with it.