The Daily Word

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The passage we will be looking at over the next few days is Philippians 4 and it contains the most spiritual advice in the shortest number of verses. It commences with a challenge and builds on from there. The next challenge Paul issues as he writes, “Rejoice in the Lord, again I say, rejoice”.

Whenever an instruction is repeated, it is an indication that it has extra importance. Here the word is ‘rejoice’. When the Lord was ministering on earth, if he began some teaching with ‘Verily, verily… ‘ it indicated that it had double importance, and here also when ‘rejoice’ is repeated, then we should sit up and take notice.

The first time I read this passage, I misread it because I thought it said, ‘Rejoice, again I say, rejoice’ and I couldn’t see how, with all life’s problems pressing in upon us, we could be asked to constantly rejoice. But the key words as in yesterday’s message are ‘In the Lord’. Without those words, we could never comply but with those words, the instruction takes on a vastly improved meaning.

We can always rejoice in our salvation and that is what we should do. We can and should rejoice because the Lord is now ever with us. We should rejoice in service for Him and His praise should ever be not far from our minds, hearts and even lips. Back in the Old Testament, one of the great writers said, “The Lord has done great things for us, whereof we are glad” and we have far more constant experience of God’s presence and working than they ever had.

Have we thanked God for our Saviour and our salvation today? I hope His praise is never far from our hearts, whatever life throws at us!

Article written by Brian Preston, Elder @SFGH Church

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