Philippians 3:1–3 (NKJV) — 1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. 2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
People, circumstances, and personal choices can rob us of the “Joy of the Lord.” It is not easy living in this world. Sometimes our worst enemy is ourselves. We have choices to make, appointments to keep, and people to meet. We set our goals to discover that the achievement of goals can be very fluid. Expectations are often thwarted leaving us frustrated and angry.
We discover there are many found in our midst who not only work against us but would love to see us fail.
Remember who you are and who you belong to! Paul tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord.” Rejoice not just in the good times, rejoice even when bad things happen. Christians are not immune to bad things happening to them. Circumstances are not always good. Evil is out and about lurking to destroy the follower of Christ. Trials and tribulations abound. What is Paul’s advice to us? “Rejoice in the Lord!”
Christians not only encounter bad circumstances in life but false teachers. How does the follower of Christ encounter false teaching? The first thing to do is know the truth. So many believers in Christ know only one truth about God and that is Christ died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and on the third day was resurrected. This is important! We must know we are justified in Christ, adopted into the family of God, we are reconciled to God, and saved from an eternal Hell.
Christians can rejoice in the Lord knowing all that God has done for us. Rejoicing in the Lord places us in the presence of Christ. No matter the circumstances, no matter how difficult the trials become we know that Christ is looking out for us. Christians know there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. Remember what Paul wrote in Romans 8:38-39.
Romans 8:38–39, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”