“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Have you noticed it? It’s on the news and social media, at work and in homes, and in adults and children alike. It’s sin! Isn’t it remarkable how easy it is to spot in others (and ourselves!) during this COVID-19 season? High stress, usual schedules blown to smithereens, and new obstacles to daily life create excellent and fertile soil for sin in our hearts. Have you noticed it yet?
But God shows us a better way.
God shows us we can rejoice always. How can this be? It is possible because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. His death on our behalf lends our souls to rejoicing rather than reviling.
God shows us we can be reasonable rather than irrational. Look around. It’s a mad world out there, but God gives his people reasonableness, which is a strength the world thinks it has but doesn’t. Only in and through God is true reasonableness revealed.
God shows us we can fight our anxiety with prayer, supplication, and making our desires known to God. God is good. God is powerful. But do you ask him for anything? Do you pray for a removal of horrible things that seize us in this world? Will you try?
Finally, God shows that in all these things, he will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Moreover, this guarding stems from God’s peace. Doesn’t peace sound nice right about now? Instead of looking everywhere but to God, look to him today.
Rejoicing and reasonableness, praying and peacefulness, if these don’t tickle your fancy, what does? Consider these better things today. Consider these gifts of God through Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
Jeremiah