11 – Rejoice Always

The Apostle Paul was a prisoner under house arrest in Rome from 60-62 AD. He had every reason to be discouraged. But Paul’s relentless enthusiasm for the Lord would not be limited in any way by his circumstances. Paul knew that his imprisonment had “served to advance the gospel” and bring confidence and boldness to his fellow Christians “to speak the word without fear (Philippians 1:12-14).” Paul remained a constant source of encouragement telling his brothers and sisters in Philippi to “Rejoice Always.”

Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV) – ⁴Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ⁵Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When Paul wrote these words to the Philippian church he was more than confident in his deep conviction that Christians can always have an attitude of praise and thanksgiving. Paul had certainly been through his share of suffering after his conversion to Christianity (Acts 9). Luke records many, but not all, of Paul’s life trials throughout the Book of Acts (see below). ¹

Paul was triumphant amid all of his sufferings. He experienced great joy and gladness in knowing that Jesus was his Savior. He knew first hand the unconditional love, unfailing faithfulness, and compassionate understanding of our risen Lord!

How about you? Are you able to Rejoice Always in ALL of your circumstances? God has given us amazing promises. He has written them down in His Word! He will NEVER fail to fulfill them! God is faithful!

When Jesus was teaching His disciples about The True Vine and The Vinedresser in John 15 He said these words, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (vs. 11). Jesus’ words were meant for you as well … not just the disciples.

May you have joy in knowing that God is always there to hear and answer your prayers. As Paul wrote to the Philippian church “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ^… 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 (Philippians 4:4-6).”

Almighty God, I rejoice always and give you thanksgiving praise in ALL of our circumstances. May I have the faith of Paul to face challenging circumstances knowing that you are always faithful. Amen and amen.

_______________

¹Adapted from Chapter 15, “Paul: “A Hebrew of Hebrews”, www.biblecharts.org

Paul’s Sufferings as Recorded in the Book of Acts

His life was threatened in Damascus. Acts 9:23
His life was threatened in Jerusalem. Acts 9:29
Persecuted and run out of Antioch in Pisidia. Acts 13:50
Faced possible stoning at Iconium. Acts 14:5
Stoned and left for dead in Lystra. Acts 14:19
Opposed and made the center of controversy. Acts 15:11
Experienced the loss of his close friend and co-laborer, Barnabas. Acts 15:39
Beaten with rods and imprisoned at Philippi. Acts 16:23
Cast out of Philippi. Acts 16:39
His life was threatened in Thessalonica. Acts 17:5-7, 10
Forced out of Berea. Acts 17:14
Mocked in Athens. Acts 17:18
Taken before the judgment seat in Corinth. Acts 18:12
Opposed by the silversmiths in Ephesus. Acts 19:23-41
Plotted against by the Jews in Greece. Acts 20:3
Apprehended by the mob in Jerusalem. Acts 21:27-30
Arrested and detained by the Romans. Acts 22:24
Barely escaped being scourged. Acts 22:25-29
Rescued from the Sanhedrin mob action. Acts 23:1-8
Assassination plot against him. Acts 23:12-22
Two-year imprisonment in Caesarea. Acts 23:33-27:2
Shipwreck on the island of Melita (Malta). Acts 27:41-28:1
Suffered a snakebite. Acts 28:3-5
First Roman imprisonment. Acts 28:13-15

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About jimdavenport

Jim Davenport resides in the USA in Northeast Georgia, is a member of a Southern Baptist Church and is a retired Christian business man. Jim and his wife Charlotte have one son and daughter in law, Keven and Amy, four grandchildren – Ashlyn (Davenport) & Josh Murphy, Mason & Rebecca (Knight) Davenport and four great-grandchildren. Jim and Charlotte own a mountain get-away home located on Lookout Mountain in Alabama where they spend many spring, summer and fall days working in their raised bed organic garden. Jim has served as a Deacon and Trustee in his local church most of his adult life and on the Executive Committee and Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees of Shorter University, an intentionally Christian institution located in Rome, Georgia. Jim has a passion for the word of God and has always believed that Christian principles should guide every aspect of his life. He also loves Christian music and often served as a tenor soloist in his church. One of the highlights of his life was the nearly 20 years he spent singing with The Good News, a Southern Gospel quartet. Jim served as an Information Technology professional his entire working career of 50 years holding senior positions in and consulting with hundreds of world-class organizations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central and South America, Australia and New Zealand. Jim remains as President and CEO of InfoSys Solutions Associates, Inc. and is a retired partner of IT Governance Partners, LLC, both of which are “Trusted Advisor” technology and business consulting firms. Jim has authored a number of books available at www.jimdavenport.me/jims-books. His blog has ben read by readers from more than 170 countries. Jim holds both a BS and an MS in Mathematics from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia and completed Management Development Training at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

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