Image from applicationofgodsword.blogspot.com
Hear the devotional read here: https://bit.ly/3iDJHFe
1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. 2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:1-9 NRSV)
A Happy Wednesday dear Friend. A prayer of peace and joy for you as you face the opportunities of this day. Take every opportunity to reflect the love and light of Jesus on this day.
This portion of the Apostle's writings reflect the awesome mind of a frenzied thinker, fueled still by the zeal of having met the risen Christ, and excited to be deemed worthy of sharing the gospel in Christ's commission to him. You can also tell there is much on his mind, and as he writes he goes in different directions; to his readers for them to stand firm in their faith. To two specific persons he urges unity in the Lord, and to his "loyal companion" he urges full cooperation and assistance of these two ladies; then to the general church; "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." Given the circumstances of the life of a Christian believer in those days, rejoicing is a difficult command both to give, and to receive. I just read that there is a malady among some, because of the pandemic, that afflicts the soul. The symptoms mimic the Covid-19 symptoms. It affects the stomach, body temperature, body aches, headaches, and the writer of the article said it is a soul sickness. The effects of the pandemic, with a list too numerous to list here, cause the soul of those who fall prey to it, to feel a hollow in their soul. For Paul to say for believers to rejoice, he adds, "in the Lord always." The soul who shares space with Jesus does not allow much room for the soul to be invaded. And to this Paul adds, "again I will say, Rejoice." This is to affirm the positive in the midst of the negative; something the enemy hates. Satan wants weeping and despair from those whom he is afflicting, not joy and expressions of hope, which is what rejoicing is. And Paul then adds, "Let your gentleness be known to everyone." Rage seems to be the order of the day during this pandemic, not gentleness. Then he says, "The Lord is near," which fueled his drive for preaching and teaching Jesus; a key teaching of his which would allow those who knew Paul to remember his zeal for going against the times and its message; to teach Jesus and He risen, and He coming soon. The icing is his "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." A believer's soul who gets a regular dose of prayer fills up all empty spaces that others might invade and compete for; use prayer, is what Paul is saying, for it serves a lifesaving purpose. And it also brings what Paul describes next, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I will say it again, prayer serves a life-saving purpose, because it "guards" our hearts, and our minds in Christ Jesus; namely, the care and feeding of our souls is best done on a steady diet of prayer with Jesus.
Finally, Paul rounds up his thoughts with addressing our thoughts; we should think on those things that are true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, and whatever is excellent and worthy of praise, these will bless our lives and our souls. And our daily life should continue to be to mimic the teachings of Jesus that Paul taught, which brings peace to our souls.
PRAYER: Loving God, we pray for those who are suffering soul sickness brought on by the stresses and pressures of this pandemic. We pray for those whose souls have been affected by personal losses of loved ones and friends also as a result of this pandemic. We ask that those souls that are empty, be filled with those things that Paul said would; prayer, praise, positive reflection, and joy. Fill our hearts and souls with Jesus, in Whose name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Do your best in sharing Jesus with someone whose soul is close to being depleted.
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
