with me, a journey of imagination, back two thousand years in time. Envision an
old man as he gazes out the window of a Roman prison. See how stooped he is? All
angles and curves. Blame his bent back on the miles traveled and the beatings
endured. He received thirty-nine lashes on five different occasions. He was
beaten with rods on three.
dead.
shipwrecks, storms, and starvation.
He’s probably half-blind, squinting just to read. What’s more, he is
awaiting trial before the Roman emperor. Nero has learned to curry the favor of
the Roman citizens by killing believers and this man, Paul, is the best known of
all.
As if the oppression from the empire weren’t enough, Paul also bears
the weight of newborn churches. The members are bickering. False preachers are
preaching out of pride and envy.
So much for the easy life of an apostle.
His future is as gloomy as his jail cell.
Yet to read his words, you’d
think he’d just arrived at a Jamaican beach hotel. His letter to the Philippians
bears not one word of fear or complaint. Not one! He never shakes a fist at God;
instead, he lifts his thanks to God and calls on his readers to do the
same.
Rejoice Always?
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I
will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). Paul’s prescription for anxiety begins with a
call to rejoice. But how can a person obey this command? Rejoice always? Is it
possible for any person to maintain an uninterrupted spirit of gladness? No.
This is not Paul’s challenge. We are urged to “Rejoice in the Lord.” This verse
is a call, not to a feeling, but to a decision and a deeply rooted confidence
that God exists, that he is in control, and that he is good.
Your
Belief System is Key
Your belief system has nothing to do with your skin
color, appearance, talents, or age. It is the set of convictions upon which your
faith depends. If your belief system is strong, you will stand. If it is weak,
you will falter.
Belief always precedes behavior. To change the way a
person responds to life, change what a person believes about life. The most
important thing about you is your belief system.
Paul’s was Gibraltar
strong.
Paul believed that “God highly exalted [Jesus] and gave Him the
name that is above every name” (Phil. 2:9 HCSB).
Conditions might have
been miserable in the prison, but high above it all was a “God who works in you
both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).
To read Paul
is to read the words of a man who, in the innermost part of his being, believed
in the steady hand of a good God. He was protected by God’s strength, preserved
by God’s love. He lived beneath the shadow of God’s wings.
Do
you?
Good and Sovereign God
God’s answer for troubled times
has always been the same: heaven has an occupied throne.
The next time
you fear the future, stabilize your soul with the sovereignty of God. He reigns
supreme over every detail of the universe.
Rejoice in the Lord’s
sovereignty! Rejoice in what he has accomplished. Rejoice that he is able to do
what you cannot do. Fill your mind with thoughts of God.
“He is the
Creator, who is blessed forever” (Rom. 1:25). “[He] is the same yesterday,
today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). “[His] years will never end” (Ps. 102:27
NIV).
He is king, supreme ruler, absolute monarch, and overlord of all
history.
An arch of his eyebrow and a million angels will pivot and
salute. Every throne is a footstool to his. Every crown is papier-mâché next to
his. He consults no advisers. He needs no congress. He reports to no
one.
He is in charge.
Sovereignty gives the saint the
inside track to peace. Others see the problems of the world and wring their
hands. We see the problems of the world and bend our knees, and there we are
reminded over and again of the secret of Paul’s worry free living- our lives are
forever held secure in the loving hands of a good and sovereign
God!
[written by Max Lucado]
