Rejoice in the Lord

Devotion: Philippians 3:1

The Apostle Paul thanked God that he was delivered from the potential sorrow of Epaphroditus' death. As he concludes the matter of sending Timothy and Epaphroditus to the Philippians he takes a moment to remind the Church to rejoice. Joy, part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is part of the maturing Christian's life and is to be the basic attitude of the Christian toward the God who redeems in Christ Jesus.

"Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you." -Philippians 3:1 ESV

In an age of sarcasm, cynicism and pessimism, the Christian should above all stand out for our innate joy in salvation. Through the gift of faith, the Christian has assurance of pardon for sin, an inheritance of eternal life and a confidence that God will put all things to rights through Christ Jesus. As the Apostle suffered imprisonment for Christ, it was joy in the Lord that overwhelmed him and joy in the Lord that became his command to the Philippians.
The implications of this command are straight forward. To encourage each other to find and place our joy in the Lord who loves us, saves us and transforms us is never burdensome and is always safe. While despair, snark and contempt are fashionable in cultural attitude toward others and toward God, the Christian is not allowed that route for good reason. To give in to the spirit of the age and despair is to deny the power of the resurrection of Christ Jesus in us through faith. To deny that power is troublesome and unsafe.
So find joy in the Lord. Take time to rejoice in prayer to God for the great salvation He has wrought in you through Christ Jesus. Then share that same joy in thought, word and deed and in simply how you approach life and find that evangelism, sharing the great joy of the Good News of Christ Jesus, comes spilling out.

News for You

• Sign up for a small group this Sunday as we study the Gospel Project's Saved. The six week study begins the week of 1/29 and will help us in God's Word to rest secure in our salvation and spur us to better proclaim God's salvation in Christ Jesus.
• The 109th annual meeting of the congregation of Community Presbyterian Church will take place 1/29/17 following the fellowship hour. If you are a member or just curious, come reflect on the year behind and pray for the year ahead.