Comfort is needed by all people. To be consoled when things go wrong is a need; not an excuse to commit some idolatrous and sinful act. Real comfort comes from God and the apostle Paul identifies two important facts in the first chapter of Second Corinthians. One: the tribulations in life will come, and Two: the consoling results are available through Him; but not without personal involvement.
Is there a day that slips by without some concern for the outcome? I think not! If you are saved by the grace of God and I pray that you are, your day should start out with a devoted time in prayer and God’s Word. We have over the years carved out the devotional as a specific period of time; Like, ten minutes in prayer and the Word will make your day, or some other recipe for a great day, you can use whatever filling you would like.
Now don’t get this wrong, I am not saying that ten minutes is not worth it and if ten minutes is all you have, well no doubt you must be asleep the other 2,030 minutes of the day and that ten minutes would be quality time spent with the LORD. Let’s see what the apostle Paul has to say about spending devoted time with the LORD. One could pick just about any section of his epistles and be challenged to devotion in time to Jesus, but I have picked the epistle of Philippians
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Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the LORD always, again I say rejoice. Did you know that if you are not rejoicing in the LORD, then you are not projecting grace to those around you? The word gentleness found in verse 5 can also be translated, graciousness. Another attribute of rejoicing, which the world around you cannot attain, is the attribute of projecting to the world that the LORD, through you is at HAND. Now, can you get a hold of that?
This is important and I am not seeking to be sarcastic. I am as much at fault with this as anyone one of us. We walk about in our spiritual garb with attitudes that do not project the joy of the LORD, or the fact that the Holy Spirit is in us and we bring God into the presence of the unbelieving. Then clothed around all of this “joy” and “power” we put on a cloak that resembles an anxiousness that of the world because we do not have devotional and ongoing time with God.
You and I no doubt have Philippians 4:6-7 memorized and if not you and I do know of it. This is all good but if you stop at just those two verses you miss the whole of Paul’s message.
The world around us views everything as untrustworthy, the believer know the “whatevers” that override worldly thinking. These are; whatever is true, noble, just, pure, and lovely, of good report, of virtue and of being praiseworthy that we are commanded of God to think on these things. Philippians 4:8-9
You know that if the circumstance of life were simply an automobile to steer through traffic, we might understand this a bit. Unbelievers and believers are given a license to drive and drive we do! But if the licensed driver, runs red lights, does not stop at stop signs, does not look you in the eye when the opportunity presents the need, or simply ignores the fact that others are on the road, who could tell the good from the bad?
On the other hand saints and if you are saved, then you are a saint and are given all of the credentials to live life in the joy and presence of the LORD, yet if we do not spend the day in devotion to Him we have no PEACE and without the peace of God we will react to the traffic just as the rest of the world.
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