“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say Rejoice. 5. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6. Be careful for nothing: but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. 7. And the peace of God which passes understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
I want us to observe three qualities that every Christian needs in his or her witness to the world. The first quality is to “rejoice in the Lord always.” The admonition is that we should rejoice whether things are going for us or against us. This is difficult, for we do not have a difficult time rejoicing when things are good, but it is not always easy when things are bad. However, if we will look back we will see that the bad times were greater times of growth in our Christian walk than the good times. I know that this is true in my life. We need the quality of joy for our own spiritual health as well as for our witness to the world. The Second quality is to “let your moderation (gentleness) be know unto all people.” This means that we are to be patient and kind in our demeanor, and in our treatment of people. This was a quality that Jesus portrayed in His dealings with people. Frankly, this is a quality that is sorely needed in our churches. I trust that you know what I mean without my elaborating on it. We need to have this quality in our families as well as in our dealings with people. This is probably one of our more Christ like qualities. The Third quality is not being anxious about anything. The text infers that we should pray about everything, and turn everything over to the Lord. This is easy to read, and to write, but it is not always easy to do. This means that we are to meet life with faith in Christ, believing that He will be enough to carry us over the rough spots. This is not really complicated, for Christ is always available to us through the Holy Spirit. When we turn everything over to Christ, He will give us “peace that passes understanding.” We do not have to try to understand what Jesus can and will do in our lives; we just need to accept what He does and be grateful. Do you have these qualities in your life? They are all available to you! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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