Skip to main content

Short Article: Focusing on the Source of Joy and Peace

  

               In scripture, when we start in the wrong place, we end up with the wrong result.  Take this familiar passage, for example: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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” (Philippians 4:4-7).

               When teaching this passage, we often focus on the parts that tell us to rejoice, be thankful and not be anxious.  This is unfortunate because making those words the centre of the message does not help.  If I am sad, telling me to rejoice is useless.  If I could find a spirit of rejoicing, I would be doing that already.  Similarly, telling me that I should not be anxious only makes me more anxious about continuing to be anxious.  These words are important, but they are not the focus.

               Other times, we focus on the frequency phrases like “always” and “in every situation”.  This creates an even bigger problem.  It is one thing to tell me to rejoice.  It is another to insist that I do it all the time.  That only sets up an impossible task and discourages me even more.

               The proper focus of this passage is neither the list of attitudes nor their frequency.  The focus is the “in the Lord” part.   The reason we can rejoice and not be anxious is that “the Lord is near”.   When we remember that we are not alone, that God hears our prayers, acts on our behalf and cares for us, then we can rejoice always!

Focusing on our ever-changing circumstances and emotions makes this passage say, “Try harder”.  When we focus on our never-changing God, the message suddenly becomes the much more helpful, “Trust more”. 

               Focusing on the right part produces the right result.

               “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dark and Light

            When you look out at the world, what do you see?             Some see nothing but trouble and pain.   They point to things like poverty, crime, problems with drugs and alcohol and marriage break-ups and say that the world is full of sadness and sorrow.   Watch the news for even a half hour and you will get the idea that the world is a dark place.             Others see nothing but good.   They appreciate generous people in their community.   They think about their friends and neighbours and smile.   They marvel at the beauty of sunrises and stars at night.   To them, the world is a bright and wonderful place.             You may be surprised that the Bible supports both of these world views.   On one hand it says things like, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the
1 comment
Read more

New Article: Five Words to Improve Your Relationships

                 In the late 1800s, it was common for railway companies to plant formal gardens beside their stations.   These gardens were filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, and fruit trees.   Sometimes they also featured a kitchen garden growing lettuce, carrots, corn, and potatoes.   Estevan’s Canadian Pacific Railway Garden was once located where Mid-City Plumbing and Heating is today.                The purpose of these gardens was to show what the land could produce.   After hours and sometimes days of riding across the featureless prairies, the railways wanted to show settlers the potential of their new home.   The gardens showed what was possible and they encouraged the settlers to transform their own land and discover its potential too.                Today’s verse acts similarly, in that it challenges us to find the potential in
Post a Comment
Read more

Forgetting What Is Behind

                   Generalizations are helpful because they show a pattern that is normally true. However, they are also dangerous because they ignore the exceptions to the rule.                  Here is my generalization:   It is a quality of the strong to be able to forget the past and move on.   The apostle Paul summarizes this idea when he states, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Too often, we trip over things that are behind us.   We remember and nurse old hurts.   We rehearse mistakes that no one else recalls.   In doing so, we pull the past into the present and allow it to dictate how we feel right now.   In these cases, we would be better off “forgett
Post a Comment
Read more