Not Being Anxious
Scripture: Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will
say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all.
The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in
every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Devotion:
Here
we see an often-quoted passage of scripture. I am afraid that through its (over)use
it may have lost some of its meaning to us in the contemporary church. We are
inclined to quickly scan these words and take these wonderful words of
scripture without meditating on what they might mean if we spent time meditating
on them. Let us move more slowly and deliberately to examine this rich passage
of scripture and apply its meaning in our lives. This passage is truly a call
to enjoy the rich salvation we have found through our relationship with Jesus
Christ.
Let
us begin at the beginning. “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again
Rejoice” this is a call to lay aside all that troubles us and to give Jesus
praise for what he has done for us. Stop and really consider what Paul is
emphasizing here. We, Christians, are to be a people not marked by sadness,
depression, and anxiety. Instead, we are called to be a people of joy
overflowing. We among all people on this earth have reason to be joyful. Even
when we are persecuted or harassed because of our faith we know that Jesus has
given us the incomparable gift of eternal life. Rejoicing should be our default
condition.
Gentleness,
likewise, should be evidenced in our life. The Christian is never to be rude or
harsh in our demeanor. We are to have a spirit of gentleness even when an enemy
opposes us. Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5), and it should mark
our lives in increasing amounts. Remembering the example of Jesus who did not
resist those who would crucify him but submitted to death, even death on a
cross. Gentleness must always be evident in our lives no matter what the
situation we find ourselves in.
Next,
we come to the really hard part of this scripture. “Do not be anxious about anything,”
In our world today anxiety is everywhere. We have anxiety about the past, the
future, about our finances, and our families. It seems that there is nothing
about which we cannot find ourselves anxious. We feel as if we are responsible
for the ultimate outcome of everything we worry about. Paul is very clear here
though. We must turn our anxieties over to God through prayer, and petition,
even with thanksgiving making our requests be made known to the Father. It is
so hard for us to do this. Our culture instructs us to keep all these things
under our tight control. We are told that we must be in control at all times.
However,
God reassures our hearts that if we give up our control, we will find a peace
that passes all our human understanding. That our hearts and minds will actually
be calmed and at peace as Jesus comes to rule in our lives. Rather than be anxious
and uptight about the way situations present themselves, we can instead know
peace in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in. Let us pray for that
peace:
Prayer:
O
God we are a worried and anxious people we too often follow the ways of the
world not the ways of Jesus. Help us to accept that Jesus knows best about how
to run our lives. Trusting in your provision help us to reach out to others
with the good news that living a life of tension and anxiety is not the only
way to live. Be near to us each day reminding us of your steadfast love for us.
Let us trust in your plan for our life. A plan for our welfare not our
destruction. Now glorify your name among your people, that the world seeing our
conduct may be drawn to us. Amen.
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