June 4 - Twelve Reasons To Rejoice

Twelve Reasons To Rejoice

“Let the buyer beware” must be the oldest business problem in history.  Today, it pertains to those irritating little details the seller doesn’t mention:  “The transmission in this car works great (only when you’re backing up)” or “this house has new carpeting in each room (because the house floods each spring).” 

When the Lord saved Paul and called him into ministry, He showed Paul how many things he would have to suffer for the sake of the Gospel (Acts 9:16).  But the Lord left something out.  He didn’t tell him (at least at that point) about the immense magnitude of joy that Paul would soon experience.  Unlike unscrupulous merchants, the Lord started with the tough, honest description, then surprised Paul with benefits that would overrule, even annul, his sufferings.

           

Decades later, as he sat in a prison awaiting execution, Paul wrote a final letter to his greatly loved fellow-believers in Philippi.  Perhaps remembering that the church was born because Paul rejoiced in the Lord instead of bemoaning his unjust, cruel treatment by that city, perhaps recalling the many ways the Lord proved his faithfulness, Paul reminded the church of these twelve, more obvious, reasons for rejoicing.

We, too, have these reasons for rejoicing:

1…the joy of remembering and praying for others. (1:4) \

2…the joy of witnessing God’s power and passion for revealing Jesus. (1:18)

3…the joy of postponing Heaven in order to help others mature in Christ. (1:25)

4…the joy of serving others as ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ. (2:2)

5…the joy of being examples of how God wonderfully saves people.  (2:16)

6…the joy of being able to fulfill our mission before going to Heaven.  (2:17)

7…the joy of witnessing God’s mercy in the people we love. (2:28)

8…the joy of knowing that God’s Word warns us of danger.  (3:31) 

9...the joy of knowing that Jesus alone is the inexhaustible supply of all our  needs. (3:3)

10..the joy of being citizens of Heaven, not earth. (4:1)

11..the joy of knowing that Jesus is always ample cause for rejoicing. (4:4)

12..the joy of being given opportunities to declare and demonstrate God’s love.  (4:10)

 

Terry Risser

Consider reading the Word today:

 

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