Developing an attitude of gratitude #10: rejoice always

The section of Paul’s letter to the Philippians that we’ve arrived at is called Final Exhortations and it’s packed with incredible advice. ‘Exhort’ isn’t really a word we use today. I would say ‘urge’, ‘strongly encourage’…there’s a sense of ‘What I’m about to say is so vitally important that I beg you to listen and take notice.’

So this journey through this letter is coming to an end and what Paul has to say is vitally important, so I plead with you to really pay attention to what he has to say and put it into practice. We sometimes moan about a lack of guidance from God and that if we knew what God wanted us to do, we’d willingly do it. Well, this is it. This is how to live as a follower of Christ. These truths are timeless. This is a call to action for all Christians everywhere.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9

1.Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Rejoice: feel or show great joy or delight. We don’t just feel it, we show it. And we don’t just show it, we feel it. We have much to be happy about – exuberantly happy. God created the world for His pleasure and He invites us to find pleasure and delight in His wonderful creation. We seem to be really good at keeping our joy and jubilation under wraps. Maybe we’re just not feeling it. Maybe we’ve lost touch with it. Maybe we’re afraid to jump for joy and of being too enthusiastic for fear of looking stupid. But ‘The Lord is near.’ How incredible is that? Surely that is worth celebrating! It’s not about faking it, we have to feel it first. It has to overflow out of what is on the inside. But rejoicing is not childish, not indulgent, not frivolous. It is what we are called to do. We should be living life to the full, the living example of the joys of life.

And it bears repeating. I will say it again: Rejoice!

That’s how important joy is.

2. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Gentleness: the quality of being kind, tender, or mild-mannered. It’s already sounding a bit weak, isn’t it? In a world where we’re called to be assertive and confident, where does gentleness fit in? People talk about kindness being under-rated, because it is. We don’t value kindness as we should. And yet when we experience kindness, we know just how powerful it really is.

The Lord is near. Jesus is our example here. Look at the life of Jesus if you need to see gentleness in action. Jesus is our inspiration. Gentleness is not just an attitude of heart. It needs to be evident to all. It needs to be seen and experienced by others – the gentleness of our words and looks and actions and touch needs to shine through in all that we do.

When we look at some of the words it’s linked with, we realise that gentleness is no small, weak thing – mercy, forgiveness, sympathy, consideration, understanding, compassion, kind-heartedness, humility, respect. Gentleness is mighty. Gentleness has the power to change the world.

3.Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Anxious: Anxiety is one of the most prevalent diseases in modern society. It’s incredibly debilitating. ‘Do not be anxious about anything’ seems an impossible ask when the world is the way it is and the people you care about are making choices that scare you and life feels so overwhelming… Paul’s right in saying the opposite of anxiety is peace. There’s a peace of heart and mind that is indeed beyond understanding, beyond words, beyond explanation, that drives out anxiety. I know because I am experiencing it right now. I couldn’t tell you how I got to this place but I’m loving being here. Nothing has changed in my outside world, but inside, everything has changed. I don’t know how long it will last, but I’m grateful for it while it does. I’d like to be able to tell you the formula – how I put in extra hours of prayer on my knees etc – but that wasn’t it.

The only thing I can think of is the reminder at the women’s breakfast ten days ago of the faithfulness and power of the God that we serve. We are never alone. God has our back. That’s why we can tell God anything, why we can offload our concerns and fears and hurt and anger on to Him. Anything. Everything. He can handle it all. And peace is there within reach for each one of us.

4.Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Think: Thoughts are powerful. The way we think and what we spend our time thinking about affect our whole lives. We can choose to focus on the negative or the positive. The good or the bad. The beautiful or the ugly. The success or the failure. The love or the hate. The pure or the degraded.

Over the years, people have used this verse to try to control what I read or watch or listen to. It’s not as simple as that. Because in some of the most violent films I’ve watched, I’ve seen good win over evil. Vampires have demonstrated faithfulness and love and loyalty. Behind the bad language and bad behaviour, there can be true love and community. We can find love and light in the most unexpected of places. In my opinion, it’s more about the effect of what you watch and read and listen to on your heart and mind. I don’t need any help with negative thinking – I’m an expert at that already! I get into unhelpful spirals of thinking that drag me down. I’ve had to work out what feeds that way of thinking and what helps me to extricate myself from it – and of course, this is still a work in progress. Whatever is true – I tell myself a lot of stuff and society tells me a lot of stuff that claims to be true. I have to watch myself from swallowing these half truths and lies whole. I tell myself lies about myself. I need to learn to listen out for the truth, for what rings true, for what resonates with my soul and think about such things.

5. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Put it into practice: Jesus never intended to establish a religion that was all about clever thinking and doctrine. For him, it always came down to love in action. In action. Words and thinking can never be enough. Our faith is about relationship: a right relationship with ourselves, our God and others. I can sit here and write inspiring words every day, but if those words are not reflected in the way I live my life and relationships, then all of this is completely meaningless.

Jesus set the bar really high, didn’t he? There’s no way we can ever live up to that. But we can try. We are never alone. The God of peace is with us every step of the way. This is living life to the full – these five steps laid out by Paul, lived out by Jesus…this is the way, the truth and the life that I aspire to.