Can We Rejoice In a Fallen World?

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say, rejoice!

     Have you been dealing with an illness?  Have you been dealing with a loss of a loved one?  A loss of a job or a home?  Has your spouse had an affair and there is an impending divorce?  What about all the violence in this world with shootings and bombings, terrorist attacks, racial tension?  How about our recent presidential campaign?  Is this all disturbing and discouraging to you?  I know it is to me at times, if I'm not focusing on the One that matters.  The question is, can we rejoice even in the midst of all this chaos?  The Apostle Paul says to rejoice when?  When all is good?  No.  Rejoice always!  But you ask, how?  Not in our own strength, but Jesus' strength (Philippians 4:13).  Focusing on Jesus, and knowing He is in control, and His plans for you life is good, is something to rejoice in.  Always!  In verse 6 of Philippians 4, it says to pray and bring our supplications to God.  If you are going through a trial, rejoice, pray, then rejoice again! 

     I have been struggling with an illness since 1998, and in the past 5 years, I have really had struggles with it.  Pain, trouble walking, numbness and tingling, among other things have given me limits on what I can do.  I have cried and been discouraged, but when I wake up, almost every morning, I rejoice and thank Him for another day.  There are times when I don't feel up to rejoicing, but I do thank Him.  I'm only human.  James 1:2-4 says to count it all joy when you go through trials, because it produces patience.  We grow in Christ as we go through trials and we continue to rejoice anyways.  I have gone through other trials in my life where I thought I was in hell.  I rejoice now, because I came through it.  I didn't have Jesus in my life then, but now that I do, I rejoice because if I hadn't gone through it, I wouldn't know Jesus.  Jesus set in motion, before we were born, what we go through, in order to draw us to Him.  Where are you in your life?  Can, or will you rejoice, in spite of the circumstances in the life around you?  Can you give up yourself, and give in to Christ?

     In conclusion, rejoicing always is praise to God for all He has done in your life.  In Philippians, Paul was in prison and was being persecuted for his faith, but he still rejoiced.  He knew his reward and that was enough for him to rejoice.  Life's circumstances don't matter in the grand scheme of things.  It takes faith to rejoice when we cannot see the outcome.  This is what Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen".  We hope, then we rejoice.  We can worry about ISIS, we can worry about who will be the next president, or shootings and terrorism.  We can worry about our health or our losses, as painful as they are, or we can have faith, trust, and rejoice in the midst of life's chaos.  What is your choice today?

Like I have said previously, I hope to blog more consistently, and I hope you will follow my blog.  May you rejoice always!

In His Joy,

Sabrina  

     

Thanksgiving in Trials

James 1:2-5

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, Who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

     Being thankful for a loving family, good kids, your good health, a good job, a nice house and a nice car--or two, is one thing, but being thankful in your trials, when your family life is less than perfect, your kids go astray, you come down with an illness, you lose your job and can't make mortgage payments on your house, and all your cars are repossessed, or whatever is testing your faith, that's a different story.  Can we be thankful and full of joy in our trials?  I wondered that myself.  But God said to count it all joy in trials.  With joy, I believe, comes thankfulness.  Philippians 4:6 says, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.  Life was never meant to be perfect after the Fall of Man.

     Without thanksgiving there is pride.  We see ourselves and our problems, but we don't see God--working on our behalf.  He is at work my friends--always.  This Thanksgiving, be thankful for the trials you suffered this year, especially if you grew closer to Jesus in them.  I know it is difficult.  I have been there many times, and I've wondered, "What is there to be thankful for in this?  And where is the joy in this trial?  You can be thankful and have joy.  They are both available to you and to me.  God's Word is truth, and what He says and offers us is truth, we just have to accept the truth.  When you sit around your dinner table tomorrow, with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, vegetables and pumpkin and pecan pies and whatever delicacies you may sink your teeth into, remember those who go without, and be thankful for what you have, in any circumstance you are in.

Psalm 106:1

Praise the Lord!  Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  For His mercy endures forever.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and may you all receive God's blessings during this holiday season.

Sabrina

Being Thankful

1 Thessalonians 5:18

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

     Family is arriving for Thanksgiving.  They meet and greet and each family member brings delicious dishes to go with the host family's turkey.  The men sit around the television waiting for the annual Thanksgiving football game to come on.  The kids play with each other in the back yard.  The women prepare the table and meal.  Thanksgiving is a great treat for the family to get together and visit and eat.  The greatest treat and gift from God is to be thankful for all the year's blessings.

     The women call in the kids to wash their hands and get them sat down at the table set especially for them.  Then the women pry the men away from the television and sit them down at the main table as well.  The big kids get to share the main table, unless there is no room, then they are sent to the little kids table.  The head of the house says grace and then they go around with their thankful statements.  It starts with the head man.  He is thankful for his beautiful family that God has graced him with.  The wife then goes on and says she is thankful for being with all the family again for another year.  Grandma is thankful for her grand kids.  Grandpa is thankful his wife let him live another year.  They all chuckle.

     The Aunt and Uncle are thankful for God's provisions in time of need.  One cousin is thankful for the college he attends.  The younger kids are thankful they have laptops, tablets, iPads and iPhones.  What do they know?  They're kids, right?  Then their parents remind them of the important things in life and they squirm in their seats.  

    As grandpa gets ready to carve the beautiful turkey that his daughter prepared, God asks the turkey, "What are you thankful for Tom?"  The turkey looks up at God and asks, shaking and nervous at his upcoming demise (granted, he's already cooked, but just work with me), "Are you kidding me Lord?  They are about to eat me!"  God again asks, "What are you thankful for?"  Tom scratches his head (yes, again, work with me), and thinks, "Well, I've been fed real well I guess.  I use to have beautiful feathers.  I was created by You Lord and free to roam (thinking to himself, "Only to get shot and plucked and packaged and cooked and ate".)  "I suppose I'm thankful for that".  God nods His head, even considering what the turkey was really thinking.  "Anything else?", God asks.  He looks up at God and answers, "Anything else?  I'm about to be carved up and eaten!"  God says to him,  "Look around you and what do you see?  I see people getting together with family and enjoying a meal together.  I see them giving thanks even though some have had hardships, and I see you with a purpose."  The turkey shakes his head and says, "Yes, this purpose of Yours is for people to eat me."  "Yes", the Lord says.  Some of the family members have struggled to put food on the table because of a job loss.  "I see", said the turkey.  He thought about and told God, "Yes, I am thankful for being of service to these people."  The the grandpa carved the turkey and they ate happily and were thankful.

     See, even a turkey can be thankful at Thanksgiving even though he will be gobbled up, so be thankful in everything.

I know my turkey humor was a little odd but that's my humor at times.  A little humor, even though odd, goes a long way.  Enjoy the holidays this year and be thankful all year.

Sabrina