LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, September 4, 2024

In today’s story of faith, we see yet another example of Abraham trusting God’s promises.

Genesis 13:5-11 “Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram’s herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time. So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:”

Let’s learn a couple of lessons from this story:

1.      Lot was selfish. He had made the great journey from Ur to Canaan on Abraham’s bootstraps. He had gained his wealth and prominence by following Abraham. Yet when a problem developed, Lot showed no humility and gratitude, but rather took advantage of the situation to further his own objectives. In such a situation I would hope that we would respond with humility and faith in God’s ability to provide for us, rather than with self-serving responses.

2.      Abraham was a man of faith in God’s Word. He has just been through a learning experience in Egypt, and when he returned to Canaan he built an altar and called on the Name of the Lord. He was reminded of God’s promise and that he was to walk by faith every day, and he passed the first test that came with flying colors. He totally trusted God with the outcome and gives Lot the first choice of land for their flocks and herds. Following Lot’s choice, God affirmed His promise, and rewarded Abraham’s faith by giving him not only the land He was left with, but all of the land Lot had just chosen as well.

3.      Abraham was a content man in his faith. Lot chose city life, with all its pleasures and conveniences. Abraham was left with his tents. But immediately he built another altar to the Lord, content in knowing that God would fulfill His promise. The walk of faith would be exciting as he would move through the length and breadth of the land to experience the fullness of God’s provision, and he did not allow himself to be sidetracked by fleshly desires and worldly allures, as did Lot. When we are on God’s path of faith, moving through the entire coverage area of His provision, we can be content knowing that God is fulfilling His purpose.

These three lessons are great reminders for us in our current situations of life. In every circumstance there is the potential for faith-walking or sight-walking. Sight-walking is selfish and ends in destruction. Faith-walking is fulfilling and ends in honor and glory. Make your choices accordingly.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, September 3, 2024

As we look at the life of Abram and learn some great lessons on faith, we discover in the last portion of the twelfth chapter of Genesis that Abram had made a terrible mistake and done something by physical sight rather than spiritual faith. He saw a famine in the land, and how it would affect him, and he made a fleshly decision to move to Egypt. Along the way and while he was there one bad decision led to another and he got himself and his wife into serious trouble. His walk of faith quickly became a walk of sight and bad judgment. Whenever we walk by our sight we have only our wisdom to trust, and that inevitably leads to bad decisions and trouble because our wisdom is so limited, and our judgment is so flawed. It is only when we walk by faith in God’s wisdom that we experience the provisions that God promises.

At the end of his time in Egypt, Abram made a wise decision of faith.Genesis 13:1says, “So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.”

Notice the words at the beginning of this passage. “So Abram went up”. No greater words of encouragement can be found than these, for after a failure God provides a way to go up again. There is always a way back to the Promised Land of God’s blessing. The road back begins with humble honesty. Abram had to finally admit to Pharaoh what he had done, and when he did, he was sent on his way back to the land of blessing. Besides that, his honesty allowed him to keep all that he had acquired while he was there. Be careful here – don’t let Satan misuse this story to lead us into thinking that we can gain personal prosperity under false pretenses and then at the end admit the truth and keep all the gain. That would be arrogantly presumptuous of God’s holy character and justice. But in this case, God showed us that even in our moments of bad judgment and faithless decision-making, God is merciful and working to restore us to the land of blessing and accomplish His purpose in and through us. It all goes back to what we talked about yesterday – the original vision. God has not withdrawn it. We may have walked away from it, but God is working to complete the purpose in us to which we were called, and that means He helps us to go up again after we have gone down the wrong path.

What past failures and fears have led you down the wrong path and kept you from the land of blessing? Maybe you are still on that path and need to be humbly honest and repent and go up again on God’s path of faith. Maybe it is a path you took some time ago, but its effects have lingered on into today and hold you in a sort of faith-bondage. Maybe today is the day you step out in faith and go up again to accomplish God’s original vision for your life.

Mark this day on your calendar and write these words in your journal – “Today I went up from _____________ to _______________. (Fill in the blanks with where you have been and where God has called you, respectively.) Make this the day that is commemorated in your spiritual journey as the day you returned to a walk of faith.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, September 2, 2024

When we talk about real faith, we must be willing to grow in our understanding of what that is and move from a childish view to a mature view. I remember a discussion I had with a couple of respected brothers in the Lord and we agreed that the immature view is the predominate view in the church today. Now open your hearts and your minds and read carefully – the immature view of faith is that God opens and closes doors. When we are new followers of Jesus Christ God needs to be obvious, and opening and closing doors is a great way for us to learn dependence on God. But it is not the mature way. Let’s look at Abram’s story and discover this truth.

When God called Abram out of Mesopotamia to go to an unknown land, there were no open doors. It was not for any visible benefit that Abram made the decision to obey. He wasn’t given a series of choices and then told to test them all and see which door opens. God gave him only His direction and a promise of blessing. But when he arrived in the land to which God directed him, his faith changed: he began looking at doors again, and the results were destructive. Take the time to read Genesis 12:10-17 right now.  

God did not give Abram any direction to move to Egypt because of a famine. Abram saw what he interpreted to be a door closing and he looked for an open one. He took his eyes of faith off God’s original wisdom, and he made moves that hurt the accomplishment of God’s purpose. True faith looks only at the wisdom God has given and pursues it no matter what the obstacles.

We all long for the type of faith that trusts the Spirit of God to relate God’s specific direction to our spirit at the heart level. God longs to have that kind of mature relationship with each of us. But we keep looking for doors to open or close: circumstantial evidence to validate supernatural vision. Why do we do that? We may believe it brings security and peace to have “proven” the will of God by our own rational thought process. But the Word of God says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2) Eugene Peterson, in his modern day paraphrase of Scripture called The Message, says it this way – “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” God’s will – His direction and wisdom – is proven by steps of faith regardless of circumstances rather than an aligning of the circumstances before we take a step. 

When we step out onto the path of God’s direction to pursue the vision He has given us, it will not be without obstacles. There will be doors opened and doors closed. But let’s be very careful – not every open door is God’s door and not ever closed door is God’s redirection. The testing of our faith comes in the choice we make to keep our eyes of mature faith on the original direction and vision or return to the immaturity of door-testing faith.

But you may ask, how can we trust the original vision and direction we thought we heard? Was it really God speaking? Each one of us knows how much personal intimacy with God in prayer and fellowship preceded the hearing of His voice. God does not spontaneously speak to indifferent ears. When Noah heard God’s word to build an ark, he was first identified as a righteous and blameless man – intimate with God. When we are spending time with God, we grow familiar with the way His Spirit relates to our spirit, and we receive from the Spirit God’s direction. Now obey it regardless of circumstances until He gives new directions.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, August 30, 2024

When teaching about faith, the Bible uses Abram, later to be called Abraham, as the primary example. The New Testament writers refer to Abraham seventy-seven times to help us to understand what faith is. There are obviously some important lessons we can learn from this man’s life as we grow in our faith. 

At the beginning of the story of Abram in Genesis 12, we hear the voice of God speaking to Abram and asking him to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household and go to an unknown land.

Genesis 12:1-5 “The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth  will be blessed through you.” So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.”

Carefully reflect on all that God was asking Abram to do:

1.      Leave his homeland – I grew up leaving my homeland all the time. As a pastor’s son we moved every 4 –5 years on average. Leaving the beautiful state of Michigan in my 9^th grade year was supremely difficult. I am so glad to be living again in a land of such diversified beauty and outdoor activity. I know how hard it is to leave a geographic area that is loved as home.

2.      Leave his people – Those of you who have lived in one area all your life probably don’t have a good understanding of this. There really are different cultures out there, and you don’t have to go outside our country to find them. I discovered different cultures every time I crossed state lines, and it’s hard to adjust to them. Because we are relational beings, people bring us comfort. New people tend to scare us. Abram was asked to leave his relational comfort zone.

3.      Leave his father’s household – For me at this stage of my life right now, this would be the toughest of the three. Family means everything to me and having them nearby is very significant.

4.      Go to an unknown land – No maps, no web site to preview the housing options, no contacts with anyone who’s already been there, no knowledge of even where he is headed. Just a general direction.

As we reflect on those four issues that Abram had to deal with, I’m sure we can relate to at least one of them in our lives right now. God is giving us all daily direction, and I think we are all guilty of giving God daily guidelines for that direction. We state our cases and concerns before we listen to His course. We predetermine the parameters of a positive response to His position and purpose. “I’ll do it if I can do it from here.” “I’ll go only as far as this cultural border.” “I’ll go if my family can go with me.” I’ll go if you tell me where I am going.” 

We must ask ourselves if we are putting conditions on God’s commands. That is not wise, but foolish. It is not faith. I seriously want to emphasize this point to all of us. Faith in God does not ask for answers, nor does it foolishly protect personal preferences. If faith does those two things, then it is not faith in God but rather it is faith in human wisdom and personal preferences. Think about this carefully in light of your current life decisions. Are they being made in true faith in God alone?

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, August 29, 2024

Our first example of faith and wisdom combining to accomplish the purpose of God is Noah. This guy had amazing faith in God and followed God’s wisdom in getting the job done. Just think of what it must have been like for him. He and his family are living in a tropical world where they have never seen or needed rain. All the moisture they ever needed was all around them in the atmosphere, and the daily dew was sufficient for all necessary watering because the ground water was so plentiful.  But worldly sufficiency cannot compensate for spiritual deficiency. So God gave Noah an assignment.

Genesis 6:9-14; 22 “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out… Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”

What would the neighbors think when Noah started to build an ark? God directs this faithful man of integrity and righteousness to build a boat. Not just any boat, but a boat so large that at least two of every kind of animal in the world could reside in it for a period of 1 year. This wasn’t just a little dugout canoe for fishing. That would not have drawn any attention from anyone. This was a statement of faith in God’s Word and a step into God’s wisdom. That first step of obedience lasted 120 years. That’s how long it took to complete the ark. But any step of faith into God’s wisdom, regardless of the length or difficulty of the road traveled, results in God’s glory. 

That’s the kind of faith we need today: faith in God’s Word that results in steps into God’s wisdom. Where has God been speaking into your life, but you have not been stepping into His wisdom? Maybe it’s in a career decision where it will take great faith to trust God’s wisdom and step in God’s direction rather than in the direction of the world’s provision. Maybe it’s in a relationship, where it will take great faith to trust God’s wisdom rather than pursue personal fulfillment or satisfaction. Maybe it’s in financial issues, where it will take great faith to step out in God’s wisdom by giving substantially to His Kingdom work rather than to the building of an earthly kingdom for self. 

Whatever the issue, right now is the right time to look up in obedience to God’s Word and step out in faith into God’s wisdom and obey God’s directions.  

Lord, give us the faith of Noah to trust your Word and tread your path. 

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Over my years in ministry, I have observed two Biblical principles that must be connected and balanced. They are faith and wisdom. I have also observed that most people in the church tend to emphasize one over the other. There are those who push faith without sight, and there are those who require sight before faith. Both groups of people are needed to bring balance, but generally the two groups are at odds rather than working together to discover the will of God.  Sometimes it even results in name calling. Those who need sight call those who don’t fools. And those who don’t need sight call those who do faithless. It causes tension and division in the church and hinders the accomplishment of God’s purpose. 

There are two things we must consider. First, those who claim great faith and are ready to move forward on anything without having all the answers  must slow down and consider all the practical issues of doing so. And second, those who require all the pieces of the puzzle to be in place before moving on must learn to trust God when He says to move even when it doesn’t make sense. Both groups of people can help each other grow in faith and wisdom.

Our next devotional study is going to look at Biblical examples of people with faith and wisdom, and how both are necessary to honor God and accomplish His will. We will see that delayed obedience while we try to figure things out doesn’t honor God, and that immediate activity is presumptuous and does not accomplish God’s will. Our ultimate desire is to both honor God and accomplish His purpose. It’s not about how well we can plan our activity, provide for it, and predict the outcome. It’s about how God is going to fill the activity with His glory.

When the prophet Haggai was charged by God with the rebuilding of the Temple, the people used both wisdom and faith. By faith they built without the knowledge of where the resources would come from. Wisdom made it their priority to accomplish God’s purpose. Wisdom and faith combined to produce obedience even though none of them would see the glory of which God spoke. None of them would be around to see the “desired of all nations” arrive. None of them would be alive to see the peace in the nation that was promised. But in faith they obeyed and trusted God for the outcome. 

When everything we do is about God and His glory, then everything we have or desire to have becomes a sacrifice to accomplishing God’s purpose. That’s the faith we need to have – a faith that denies our rights to benefiting from the outcome and that acknowledges our total dependence upon God’s provision. That’s what brings us peace. Do not be afraid. God is with us, and the glory of God seen in steps of faith is greater than any glory we can claim from human solutions.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Today we conclude our study on joy from the book of Phillians. Our final thought is this –  joy results in generous giving which results in greater joy. Here’s what Paul writes to the people in Philippi.

Philippians 4:14-19 “Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

Paul stated earlier that he rejoiced greatly because of the way the people of the church in Philippi gave generously to meet his needs. He describes the gifts as a fragrant offering and an acceptable sacrifice that is pleasing to God. Paul referred to these gifts when he wrote to another church in Corinth. “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.” The people of Philippi gave even when everything in them told them not to. They were poor. They had trouble paying their bills. They had needs of their own, but they were content because of the strength they received from rejoicing in the Lord.  They were able to look beyond their own needs and consider others ahead of themselves because they were on Route You and not Route Me. They followed the sacrificial pattern of their Savior, and they gave, and gave, and gave some more. They were super-generous, and it touched Paul deeply and filled him with joy.

My friends, if you are not experiencing great joy in your walk with the Lord, maybe it’s because you haven’t sacrificed enough. Maybe it’s because there is too much trust in your own power to provide for yourself, and not enough trust in the provision of God. There is not much joy in knowing what we can do: there is great joy in watching what God can do. Maybe we aren’t giving Him a chance to do great things.

Years ago, our church was initiating a huge building program. We knew it would take God’s miraculous provision to accomplish it. People responded to the joy of the Lord with sacrificial gifts that covered over one-half of the total cost of the building before we even agreed to start the project. They rejoiced in being asked and they rejoiced in responding. There is no greater joy than knowing the grand and glorious work of God was accomplished through their personal sacrifice. It’s exactly what gave Jesus the strength to endure the cross – the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2).

Whatever sacrifice is necessary, keep your eyes fixed on the fullness of the joy that will be yours when you do it for God’s glory. There is eternal joy in knowing that Jesus  gives us a spirit of generosity to flourish even when we think we have very little. And that produces more and greater joy. So keep being generous and reap the harvest of enduring joy.  

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, August 26, 2024

Just yesterday I saw it again. Someone posted a Bible verse and used it to justify an outcome they wanted. It was totally out of context. Many times we are guilty of taking Bible verses out of context just so we can feel better about ourselves. Sometimes we use verses to motivate ourselves within the context of possibilities, but we limit those possibilities only to those things that will benefit us. In today’s Scripture from Philippians chapter four we have such a verse that has been misused and misapplied. You will recognize it as I read this passage.

Philippians 4:10-13 “I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

How many times have you seen “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” printed on a t-shirt, uniform, or Facebook page?And how many times has it been there because the person was declaring that they have the strength to endure adversity and failure? Most of the time the verse is used to claim some guarantee of success. But that is not the context of the verse.

Paul taught the people of Philippi to rejoice in the Lord even during imprisonment. They responded to the joy of the Lord by reaching out with compassion to help Paul in his need. But Paul says this – “I do not consider myself to be in need.”  Wow! He is in prison. He is being persecuted for what he believes. He owns nothing of his own. Yet he says he is content. How is that possible. Because of the strength of the Lord. You see, the promise of doing everything through Christ who gives us strength is not a promise of success, but it is a promise of contentment even when everything is wrong.

Here’s the secret. When we rejoice in the Lord and know that He is in control of all things, working them out for His glory, then even our failures become a part of a bigger purpose than just our need for immediate gratification. And when we rejoice in God’s bigger purpose, we are given the strength to endure anything until He works it all out. We learn the secret of contentment.

Most people today are far from content. Every day they strive for more and better, thinking that life can only be enjoyed if it is free from trouble and suffering. We have become our own God, declaring the right to determine what is best for us. We rejoice in ourselves and then try to claim a Bible verse that validates our right to get it done. Then if it doesn’t, we blame God for failing us. What a frightful life.

Paul rejoiced that he was receiving help, but he wanted us to know that he wasn’t depending on the help to make his life better. He was content with any circumstance because he fully trusted God to provide him with peace while he endured the suffering. My friends, we must learn this. We must become people who truly trust God with all outcomes. The result will be peace and freedom from worry, because when we rejoice in the Lord, Christ will give us the strength to be content.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, August 23, 2024

In this concluding chapter of the book of Philippians, Paul has moved from teaching us how to have joy to showing us the results of learning to rejoice in the Lord. Yesterday we looked at the first two by-products of rejoicing: peace and unity in our relationships. Today we discover another Christ-like characteristic that is produced by joy – compassion.

Let’s review a vital definition of joy. Biblical joy is choosing to respond to external circumstances with inner contentment and satisfaction, because we know that God will use these experiences to accomplish His work in and through our lives. Joy is a feeling of good pleasure and happiness that is dependent on who Jesus is rather than on who we are or what is happening around us. Joy is a gift from God, and it is something to be celebrated and shared with others. Joy is rooted in who God is and is not fleeting or based on circumstances.

Joy is one of the fruit of the Spirit of God within us. It is not an emotion. Happiness is an emotional response to circumstances, just as anger and disappointment and sadness. Joy, however, is an expression of the life of Jesus in us. Just as the nature of Jesus is not changed by circumstances, so His life in us is not changed by circumstances. Joy is so much more than a feeling. It unites our faith with confidence and covers our emotions with the umbrella of peace.

Something happens in the hearts of people who are living in joy. Their focus switches from themselves to others. Their own needs become secondary to the needs of others. Instead of complaining about what’s wrong in their own life, they develop compassion for how others are hurting.

Look at how the Apostle Paul describes the people of joy in Philippi in verse ten of chapter four.“I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me.” When the people of the church began to rejoice in the Lord, regardless of their circumstances, they began to see the needs of Paul, which caused him to rejoice even more. When the church of Jesus Christ begins acting like the Body of Jesus Christ by loving others the way Jesus did, it produces even more joy in the individual members of the Body.

Of all the churches Paul organized, this one church had set the standard for how to take care of their pastor and missionary. They knew how to come along side him and support him even while he was in prison. Their love for Jesus and their experience of His joy through all the trials and troubles of life raised their awareness of the needs of others.

At some point we all must come to the crossroads of two major highways of life: Route Me and Route You. When we are rejoicing in the Lord, we choose Route You. When we are intent on finding emotional security from the circumstances of this world we will choose Route Me. May the church, the Body of Christ, become known for choosing Route You.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, August 22, 2024

In our previous studies on joy from Philippians we have seen how joy is produced. Paul now switches his approach and uses joy to produce something else. Let’s see what it is.

Philippians 4:2-7  “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. 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 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.” 

It begins with a less than harmonious relationship between two women – Euodia and Syntyche. There seems to be a spat going on and the two women cannot reach a unified agreement about it. It is hurting the joy quotient of the church. Paul challenges the other members of the church to get involved in resolving the conflict, and he says the starting point for the fix is to rejoice. It is hard to disagree with someone else when the focus is turned to rejoicing about our salvation. Try it! Next time you are in an argument with your spouse or friend, stop and ask them to join you in praising God for your salvation that Jesus paid for with His life on the cross. Whatever you’re arguing about loses its importance quickly, doesn’t it? Rejoicing in the Lord is the starting point of healing disagreements, disharmony, and disunity.

The second step in healing hurts is to be seen as gentle. Jesus describes Himself as gentle, and the word means to be humble and lowly. It carries the idea in this passage that each of these women should not be so quick to want to get their point across but rather that they should learn to listen to the other and respect their opinion. It is truly a word that describes true love in action – considering others better than yourself and putting their needs ahead of your own. That is what was needed as the next step towards unity.

The third step in the healing process where there is dissension is to not get so anxious and overly excited when things don’t seem to be going your own way. Instead, turn it over to the Lord in prayer, being thankful that you have the privilege of letting Him handle it. It is when we submit all the outcomes to God that he brings us to a place of peace and gives us His peace that passes all understanding. These women may not truly understand one another, and may not accept the other’s viewpoint, but in prayer God will grant a peace that overwhelms the lack of understanding and guards our hearts and minds against sinful thoughts and behaviors towards another person.

The context of this often quoted passage is unity in the body of Christ. Peace is extremely important in the church, and the way to peace begins at the intersection of rejoicing and humility. How can we truly rejoice in the Lord unless we are humble, recognizing that all we are and all we have is from Him? We can’t. So, when we rejoice, we pave the road with peace, and unity results.

Rejoice in the Lord! And again I say: Rejoice!

 Pastor John