| Good morning, everyone, Our theme for this month: “Living with joy” Our Bible verse for today: “So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.” Philippians 4:1 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Stand firm in the Lord” Do you ever blow things up in your mind and allow them to become bigger in your head than they are in reality? That’s the kind of thinking that manages to take a small thing and turn it into a big thing. But it didn’t have to be that way. It wasn’t really a big thing to begin with, instead you turned it into something big by the way you allowed yourself to think about it. What a waste of time and energy! What a joy-stealer! As we learned in yesterday’s devotional message, worry, fear, and imaginary thinking are destructive emotions that have a negative impact on the mind, body, and soul of a person, and on the quality of your life and the health of your relationships with other people. But that’s not God’s desire for His people. God’s desire is for us to experience peace and joy, not worry and anxiety. Even though life can be difficult and painful, there are things we can do to maintain an overall sense of peace and joy, even in the storms and troubles of life. That’s where the Apostle Paul takes us now as he closes out his letter of joy. In this final chapter he will address several of the greatest -joy-stealers in life including unnecessary and unresolved conflicts; negative thinking; failing to guard our heart; and lack of contentment. The great truth to be learned here is that there are things we can do and actions we can take to maintain the peace and joy of Christ in our lives. As we will see in tomorrow’s devotional, Paul addresses and corrects two Christian ladies who were guilty of failing to do the very thing Paul called for in Philippians 4:1 – they did not stand firm in the Lord. Instead, they allowed Satan to gain control of their thinking. They turned what should have been a small thing into a big thing, and as a result, there was unresolved conflict that was having a negative impact on them and on others around them. Standing firm in the Lord is the key to living well. Standing firm in the Lord is the gateway to joy in life. We’ll think more about this tomorrow. God bless, Pastor Jim If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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“Standing firm in the Lord is the gateway to joy in life.” That is a very powerful statement. I love those kind that make a person think.
I have a NKJV Life application study Bible. I read Psalm Chapter 1 today. I was reading the notes at the bottom. I saw this, ‘The book of Psalms begins with one of the simplest but most profound truths in all the Bible.’
Right away, that captivated my attention, and I wanted to know what that profound truth was. Do you?
We will think more about that tomorrow. 😄 I’m just kidding. I went on to read,
‘Great joy comes from obeying God and refusing to listen to those who discredit or ridicule Him.’
It’s pretty cool that both spoke of joy. Anyways, thanks for your dedication to writing. God bless, Pastor Jim.
Thank you Donna!
You’re welcome