rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice (Phil. 4:4). ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Paul here gives his teaching on emotional well-being. It is: 1. “Rejoice in the Lord always”: This means that in our heart of hearts there is to be a continuous praise to the Lord, because He has done so much for us. He didn’t say here that we should rejoice only when things go well, but “always.” That means we should rejoice, even when we don’t feel like rejoicing. 2. “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand”: The idea is, we aren’t greedily grasping after things. Why not? The Rapture will soon take place. In the light of eternity, that is literally true. 3. “Be careful for nothing”: This simply means, “Don’t worry about anything.” 4. “But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God”: The cure for worry is believing prayer. “Supplication” refers to telling the Lord what we need and then “thanking Him” for all He has done for us. When we make our requests known to the Lord, we are talking to Someone Who is able to do all things. When we seek the help that men can give, we then get the help that they can give, which is mostly nothing. When we seek the help that God can give, He can do all things. 5. “The Peace of God shall keep us”: This is “Sanctifying Peace,” which can come to the Believer only as the Believer places his faith exclusively in Christ and the Cross. We then have a peace which “passes all understanding,” which means that it is “beyond the pale of human comprehension.” If we do this which the Holy Spirit here through the Apostle is telling us to do, it will “keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” As we constantly state, Christ is the Source, while the Cross is the means. 6. Finally, he tells us that we should think on things which are “true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of a good report, virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” All of these things can be done, providing the Cross is the Object of our Faith, which then gives the Holy Spirit latitude to help us, without Whose help nothing can be done. These exhortations are God’s prescription, as stated, for emotional well-being - JS
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 12:56:55 +0000
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