This is a shorter section of scripture, but it is full of application for us every day. In this section Paul wants to encourage the church–he makes it very clear that their focus needs to be on Christ, as he begins by addressing Euodia and Syntyche and asking them to settle their differences. [v.2] As we’ve seen in previous passages: Paul doesn’t exactly avoid confrontation.
He continues with three specific ways to be unified in Christ. Let the small things remain small things and allow God to unify us through the gospel message. Christ came to make us new. Each of us: you, me, everyone.
The first application Paul gives is to rejoice. [v. 4] Paul doesn’t say “rejoice only when you feel like it.” or “rejoice when God blesses you.” No, he encourages us to rejoice always. Rejoicing when the trials hit hard, when blessings are abundant; because no matter what the day brings, you know that it is not the end of the story.
Next, Paul urges us to show gentleness to others. [v. 5] In our society, the word gentleness could be mistaken for “weak” or “timid,” but that’s not what Paul is saying here. Does he tell us to be bold in our faith and love for Christ? Absolutely. The original Greek, Epieikes, can be translated as “equitable, fair, mild.” Think of the unity that would exist among us if we had an internal mindset of peace, with an outward showing of gentleness: focusing on God and allowing Him to unite us.
Paul addresses worry and anxiety next. No matter what your current life status, we’ve all experienced worry. And this is the thing about worry: worry breeds worry. Instead of allowing worry to become an idol in our lives, we need to bring every request, every fear, every praise and every petition [v.6] to Him. Bring your worries to Him, and He will replace them with His peace.
- In what ways do you remember to rejoice? What are some distractions that keep you from rejoicing? Do you have a story to share of finding joy in a difficult situation that may encourage someone else?
- Write down a list of way you can be bold, yet gentle in your faith. If you’re comfortable, share these with the community.
- Do you struggle with anxiety? Worry? Take time to bring these worries before the Lord. Ask Him to replace them with His peace.
{ 57 comments… read them below or add one }
My husband has had significant health issues the past several years. The major episode that hit was on Valentines day of 2011. His heart stopped. He was without a natural heartbeat for 90 minutes. We made it through that ordeal by the grace of God & witnessed Him do a modern day miracle. However, since then I’ve experienced new levels of worry & anxiety as I’m sure you can imagine. So much so that they started taking on physical symptoms in me. I had to address the issues head on and do a real internal gut check. It’s still a constant struggle but the first step is calling it out & confessing it. I loved this reading!! You can check more of our story in the April edition of Guidepost guideposts.org/ebuchanan
I really love the topic today about rejoicing and praying. Recently i have discovered the great power that prayer has, as well as declaring the Word of God with your mouth. We spend so much of our life preoccupied, especially in this day and age, that we dont even look up from our phone/tablet/laptop/anything else, we dont notice the beauty of God. We have to take time in the day to make it a point to take in the beauty of God thats all around us letting us know how much He loves us and wants us to rejoice every moment of every day! Be happy even when you think you cant, even when you feel you cant, remember God gives us the strength to overcome our trials, He will lift your head up and give you peace if you just let him! He loves us so much it is evident in everything, the very fact that I'm still breathing while writing this and that you are still breathing while reading is is a great example of His love! Be happy and peaceful even through the trials just Praise the Lord!
Worry is such a huge part of every woman’s life. For me, when i pray, i leave all of that behind as i go before the throne of God…there, i find the peace and comfort that He promises in His word. We each need to own our own relationship with our Savior and trust that He is ours…it’s a minute by minute, step by step journey. No easy answers to why we worry, just choosing to trust our Lord and Savior.
Have the same problem with valentine. I’ve been constantly praying to God to please take away all these fears and anxiety. It’s an everyday struggle. Please pray for me too.
Ladies, I need your prayers. I suffer from such worry and anxiety that’s has started causing me physical pain. I can hardly drag myself out of bad everyday to go to work. I put on my happy face even though I am feeling bleak inside. I worry about everything. Although I pray, I don’t think I believe my own prayers. I desperately need a CHANGE of heart. The anxiety is stealing my ability to be joyous. Its a burden on me.
Valentine, I can relate as I had a lot of pain last year. finally things are starting to ease. will pray for you.
Rejoice! This has been a challenge. I read that we are to give thanks, and rejoice evermore. A few years back, my daughter died leaving a husband and children. Very shortly after her death, her daughter was diagnosed with a deadly disease. My granddaughter died just a little over a year ago. At first, I was angry that God had not answered our prayers for healing. But, He has spoken to my heart about the joy of knowing that He died for my daughter and granddaughter, and He saved them. Whew! How can I be anything but joyful, knowing that they are with God in Heaven, and that I will see them again! Joy floods my soul when i dwell on this. God is good all the time. I will rejoice EVERMORE!
Father I am in constant worry over my marriage, my unborn child You have blessed us with and so many other things…it pains me to worry and be fearful over so much and yet when I say I give it to You i never fully do. Forgive me for not trusting You like I should and for letting my worries and fears control so much of me. Please be with me Father and take away my anxiety help me to be stronger and to lean and trust in You and You alone….
In Your holy name Jesus
Amen
Just heeding the word to REJOICE and the simplicity of REJOICING no matter what.
Things I took in…. Have a rep for being fair an mild manner but bold in faith. The cure for worry is prayer ( may The Lord daily remind me of that). ” the peace surpasses knowledge claiming a troubling situation when explanations fail…”
May I go forward with less worry and more bold faith and a gentle spirit
I rejoice with every day I’m allowed to see another day. I was born a diabetic and was diagnosed at the age of 1. Doctors told my mother that I wouldn’t live past age 6, and with the blessing of the Almighty here I am 30 years later. I feel that I am living proof that God does exist. Thanking Him everyday!!!!
One of which is my sister who is bi-polar and who I have to deal with monthly texts from her cussing me out, telling me how no good I am, wanting to see me fail and then rejoicing when I do! Then other days I’m the best thing that has ever happened to her and she couldn’t live wirh out me! I lost my dad 3 years ago to a massive heart attack and the pain is still so sharp. I have been a Christian since the age of 7 and I’m knocking on 40. I know the power of Christ and I have seen Him work in so many ways! I don’t understand why I am having trouble laying these burdens at His feet! I want peace so bad! I want all the hurting to stop and go away! I love my God and am so thankful I have Him. I just don’t know why I can’t let go of all this pain!
I am new to this site and I’m not one to ever leave a comment or anything like that. Hmm….what to even say. I have so much on my shoulders that I feel like they will break at any second. My now 17 year old got pregnant at the age of 16. She was and still is a good kid. She was brought up knowing this was wrong and brought up in a Christian house-hold. She is marrying the boyfriend on Saturday. I do not think they should marry yet and the boyfriend is being selfish and looking out for his own interests and not those of my daughter or the child she is carrying. This situation has been almost more than I can bear. He wants her to move in with him and his mother and her live in boyfriend. There is no love of God in this home and the mother and boyfriend are completely satisfied with how they are living. My daughter’s boyfriend wants her to move there so he doesn’t have to give up or sacrifice the things he still wants to do. On top of all this, I have to deal with other family members who are on again off again drug abusers.
Thank you, Ashley Ward, for telling us you have studied Phillippians 6-7 times! God’s word is ever fresh and rich to teach us. I want to rejoice, to shun worry, and to be gentle. I want to trust God to guard my heart. In Jesus, let it be!
I do struggle with worry and anxiety often. But I try to remember just as Verse 6 says, to bring every prayer, petition, and thanks to Him. I try to give it all to God. Because ultimately, He is my savior and I know he is my peace.
Thank you Melissa, I will start this plan tomorrow morning, will keep you updated on my progress, thank you soo much. God bless
Hi everyone, thank God for this community, I need a BIG favour from anyone that God has inspired, this is my story: I was born a christian and grew up in the love of God, used to be very fervent in prayers and service to God. Lately I have been so week spiritually, to open my mouth to pray is like a burden, in general, my spiritual life is nothing to write home about. I have tried on many occassion to improve but I keep going backward the more, any suggestion on wgat I can do please? I have 2 other devotional on youversion bt I dont keep up. Any advoce plsssss
Becky, I would recommend setting aside a time each day to read the Word. Even if you set your alarm to get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning. Or, retreat 15 minutes earlier to bed and read there. Try to find a time with little distraction, you don't have to start out with an hour. Start small and work your way up. We all struggle with getting time with God in every day but for me I notice the difference when I neglect it which helps me to keep better on track. On Youversion you can click for it to catch u up so you don't always feel so behind each time you log in. Try and make spending time with God a priority for 30 days, then it becomes more of a habit they say, Blessings to you!
I am going to print these words and make them my daily motto. Rejoice Be Gentle and Pray. Such sweet words to live by. Paul's speaks great truth in scripture. All of these things that Paul encourages us to do are things that I've been convicted by. Rejoice in the mist of all things good and bad. Be gentle towards others and yet strong in my faith. Not judging others but living out my faith with a gentle heart. Praying and giving all to God is a huge struggle for me but God is so faithful, I know I will overcome my worry. At the end I am encouraged by what I can't do but what God can do!
Just reading some of your woes has made me even more thankful. I had breast cancer 4 years ago and comming through that gave me a new appreciation for life and God’s goodness. It is good to be reminded to rejoice or celebrate as the message Bible says.
I used to be the ultimate worrier. No matter how many times I would read verses telling myself not to worry, I'd be fretting away the very next moment about anything from money to how clean the house was (or wasn't) to when God was ever going to bless us with a healthy child and on and on and on. In the last year or so, God has made such a change in my heart. I want to be the salt and light of people, as He requests us to be and I think I FINALLY realized that I couldn't possibly minister to others as to how amazing God was and how he provides us with everything we need, when I wasn't fully trusting in Him myself. I am rejoicing to the Lord every single day now and it is such a refreshing feeling.
I agree with you completely! So many times we become inpatient and just want to jump right into taking action, but we need to realize that there is a time for molding in which God prepares us and that only happens when we allow the spirit of God to change us from the inside out. Like you said it is "such a refreshing feeling!"
Lana thank you for sharing, I am also a newly wed and within 3 months developed chronic fatigue and more recently ibs. Both have had huge impacts on me personally and at work. God has been so faithful and given me strength when I needed it most. Sometimes you have to rely on him and these verses today really sum up my feelings and just a good reminder to look for the positive in everything. God is so good even through pain.
This coincides with my goal for the month: writing on Facebook each day something I am grateful for. It’s a November of Thanksgiving.
Its always a great reminder that we always need to rejoice, in the good AND bad. I feel like it is so easy to praise God when we have good days and when good things happen, but when bad days come and bad things happen to us, all we can do is be disappointed and mad, but really we need to always be thanking God and trusting that whatever comes next will be good. And when we trust him through the bad, He WILL make whatever comes next good. I feel sometimes when the bad happens it can be a test to us to see if we are going to run to Him or not.
I needed this today. I found out yesterday that my dog is likely dying, and I have been wracked with worry and trying to predict the future. I’m also finding that the loss of a pet is different from the loss of a human as you have no one to mourn with, and that is a lonely feeling. I felt a small bit of peace after reading this today. I am praising God that he found me worthy to care for one of his special creatures, and for sending me a dog who brought me such great joy. Worrying won’t help either of us; instead I should find some peace in the idea that God will care for both of us.
The hardest time my sisters to rejoice is when you are going through a difficult situation. No the easiest thing to do during those times is to act defeated and to lose sight of the purpose to which Christ has so called us. I have found that when we are going through the wilderness the best way to make it through is to have a person who speaks the Word to us. Even when we don’t want to hear it they still remind us of it and even we don’t want to pray or we find it hard to do so they still pray for us. If you can rejoice during the hardest times then you will find it easier to rejoice when all is well. Sometimes you have to give The Lord what my grandmother used to call a right now praise. And what this means is that despite your circumstances and how things may seem you give The Lord thanks for where you are.
I hope this post has helped someone. Be of good cheer my sisters!
Wht encouragement! Buffy and Lana, what wonderl testimonies and what an inspiration! I reallyant to find that book by Ann Voskamp. I am totally blind, so hopefully, it is availableme somewhere accessibly that I can read it.
I have downloaded the audio book, read by Ann in her soothing and loving voice. You may want to look for that. God bless
These verses were definitely meant for me today. My job has been unstable since I began it and has been a constant worry in the back of my mind. But I am reminded to not be anxious about ANYTHING! When I feel the worry setting in, I am reminded of Gods faithfulness to me over and over in the past. When I thought things couldn’t get worse, God revealed His plan and it was better than anything I could have dreamed up. I must instead pray about EVERYTHING, knowing that His peace has and will cover me more than I can even understand.
I am not a worrier but I am married to one. My goal for the last four to five months has been to lay all of my petitions at our Lord's feet and walk away. The praise and thanksgiving that I have from doing this is my message. There is no perfection here, but time and results make it easier to do. God's peace is a comfort blanket that is found no where in this life on earth! And surrounding myself with like souls makes this easier to do!
Verse 6-7 really stuck out to me. I read Ann Voskamp's book "One Thousand Gifts" over the summer and it really changed how I look at prayer (among many other things). By going to God with thanksgiving and gratitude, you really start to see more of His goodness and His answered prayers.
Too often I pray just asking for things. When I pray with gratitude and thanksgiving, I feel like the connection and "conversation" gets stronger and more intimate.
I love how Paul says to practice what you see in Him. I've had such a great privilege of learning under so many great Godly women (including the She Reads Truth community) in my life, and it just made me think about what I admire in them. What you admire in those Godly men and women in your life should be what you emulate in your own life, not what you see and read in the media. Great reminder! :)
These words are perfect for my day today. Later this morning, my husband and I meet with our case worker regarding the child or children we are hoping to adopt. We have just recently started this process and over the past week have felt called by God to adopt out of the foster system rather than an infant through a birth mom. I'm terrified by this shift in our thinking, but also confident that God's plan for us is bigger and better than what we hoped or imagined. Reading these words this morning and thinking on the truth of this Book reminds me that my God is so near. He is so loving and kind to be so sovereign in placing these words on my lap on the day we humbly decide to take in broken children. We are excited about growing our family, but my anxiety has increased tenfold over the past week. So often I don't trust God. I become paralyzed in making decisions because I worry if it's the right one. But as the scriptures say today, "don't be anxious about anything" and to think on what is true and right. God has brought us to this place and I can continue to walk in faith and rejoice that He is in control!
I’m so fthankful that the Lord brought me to this website. I woke up at 3:30 few days ago and could not fall back asleep. Grabbed my phone and started surfing and the Lord led me to all of you!! I love the truth of His word and the fact that all of you truly endeavoring to truly apply it too! I tend to worry too much so this is a blessing and answer to my prayer for change in my heart. Thank you ladies for sharing!
Welcome aboard, Sue! God works wonders leading us to each other and others tool
It has been my experience that when I am anxious, fearful, and worried about ANYTHING, the only option is to rejoice. Whether it is relationships, materials, lessons learned, etc. having a heart of gratitude almost always relieves the worry and anxiety. When we take the focus off the issues & problems, and put the focus on the One who is holding us in the midst of the problems, everything else pales in comparison. I know for me, it is a constant battle — but I get stronger every time I take the focus off of me, and rejoice in Him.
These verses speak to me, as they do to so many women who have struggled with worry and anxiety. After a long and difficult year of struggling with anxiety, God brought me to a very low point in my life that allowed me to realize, that my anxiety was over a desire to control my life and the inability to do so. In retrospect, I now know that God brought me to that low place to show me that only through Him can I truly have a peace that transcends all understanding. My continued prayer for myself and others who struggle with anxiety to for us to be open to accepting the grace of God and His control over our lives. His grace is always there waiting on us, we only need to accept it. Once our eyes are opened to this truth, we are truly able to rejoice in every situation. I thank God for this community of women who remind me daily of the great joy and peace we have in a Savior who loves us and cares about all the little details of life that often fill us with worry. Today I'm giving everything to God and accepting the peace only He can provide.
Anxiety has been a nearly life-long struggle. These verses are very familiar to me, but they were exactly what I needed to hear this morning. I love how God works things out: his timing is so perfect!
This may seem somewhat trivial…but it's a perfect instance of where I could have rejoiced better. :) This week our car got a flat and started making a terrible grinding noise on the same day. I, of course, jumped to the worst conclusion…that it would cost so much, and we can't afford much right now. I brought the car home and my husband looked at it after work. I prayed with my whole heart that it would be a fix that was relatively cheap. God has a sense of humor, because when my husband took the tire off, there in the brake area was a big screw that had fallen from it's place. It had been rattling around. All that we needed to do was get a nut and put the screw back in. :) God is so great! I could definitely have rejoiced better in the situation, by praising him for an opportunity to trust Him even more. Now I know better for next time!
It's just a perfect example of how Christ holds us all. We think we're falling, but he's just walking and we're still just grasped in his hands. He laughs because we so often freak out over nothing. :) So guilty of that! I like Laura's recommendation, above, about listing out things you're thankful for regularly. What better way to set your mind on the "Best" things?!
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7 NIV)
How many times have we heard that phrase.."the peace that passes all understanding."? But o we really hear it? What an amazing gift…we release our worries and He gives us peace. I don't know about you Ladies…but I need to lean on that peace more often!
Amen! I definitely need to lean on His peace more often. It is so true, we hear/read some of these scriptures over and over, but then one day we REALLY hear it.
I am brand new to this community and website, but I am truly grateful that God lead me to it! I have BEEN searching for a site like this where a community of women can read, discuss, and encourage one another, all for God's glory!
As for today's reading, I actually did a study of Philippians 4:4-7 and memorized the verse during a very difficult time in my life. I was a newly wed for 2 months and newly diagnosed with MS (Multiple Sclerosis). I felt hopeless and angry. I couldn't understand why God had allowed this to happen to me. I knew the story of Job and even re-read it a few days after my diagnosis and thought to myself, "This is craziness! Who, in their right mind, would say, 'Thank you for putting me in this horrible situation'?" I'd tried to read other encouraging passages, but nothing seemed to help.
It wasn't until I read Philippians 4:4-7, that the Holy Spirit silenced me and opened the eyes of my heart to see that God was right here with me, through my bad and good days, and to rejoice for THAT. To praise God because he chose me to be his child by his grace, and he chose me to go through this test because I could handle it with him and give him glory for ALL of it, even when others couldn't. I had/have that "peace that transcends all understanding" and with that comes courage, joy, and most of all faith.
I encourage any of you who may be in similar or worse situations, to keep pressing and know that God is with you. He hears your prayers, and is asking you to trust him through your circumstance. This is the peace he wants you to have, and when you do, you can't do anything but rejoice.
I can say that God truly answered my prayers and HEALED me. I went from taking shots every other day, and experiencing symptoms of MS, to no longer needing the shots and being completely symptom free. God is worthy of so much praise and I'm sure there are many more stories out there like mine because of his amazing love for us. He has never, and will never, cease to amaze me.
Wow..Lana, what a testimony! I am sure many of us feel challenged to offer thanksgiving while lifting up prayers in hard times, but hearing actual stories reminds us that we are not alone in that experience. Have you read The Hiding Place? There is a story in there about giving thanks always, and your story reminded me of that. Good lesson..thank you for sharing!
Hi, Leah. I haven't read that book, but I will definitely look into it. Thanks for the suggestion, as we all need reminders from time to time, even after experiencing God's power. :-)
God is awesome! He healed me of BiPolar disorder recently and now I"m trusting Him to deliver my daughter out of her bondage to drugs/prostitution. I hurt so much for her BUT I KNOW He can set her free as He did me!!!! I choose to rejoice in who HE is!
Wow! I am reading this as I sit in the hospital from heart issues due to anxiety! I am rejoicing today because God knows exactly what I need and when I need it! How awesome is He! I feel my anxiousness fading as I read these verses and releasing all my fears and worries and praying for the peace which passes all understanding! I am so blessed by this site, by the many comments, by the nin judgmental fellowship as we all grow in the Lord together! I am so blessed that my Father is watching over me ALWAYS! I have read these verses before, but now more than ever, God’s Word has spoken to me so personally I know it will stick this time! I cannot help be overwhelmed at His love for me!
Buffy, isn't it amazing when God points you to the place you need to be? Your story gave me goose bumps. Clearly you are supposed to be reading this right now.
When I think of these 7 verses I am reminded of Truth, Honor & Praise I have found great comfort lately in being reminded of the many things God is doing in my life. I wrote a blog post last night about how at the beginning of 2012 my friends and I agreed this would be the year we would allow God to do GREAT things in our lives, and while He did great things there was a lot of grief, tragedy, pain etc. and we kind of lost sight of the great things He could do. This was a good reminder that we should not be anxious and we should allow Him to speak truth into our lives and hearts and in return we should honor and praise Him.
I definitely struggle with being a "worrywart" and being anxious about things that really may not even be that important, but they seem like the world ending to me at times. I pray that I will continue to learn to pray about my worries and place them at His feet so that I can experience His unexplainable peace vs stress & worry.
I feel the same way! Today's reading was such a good reminder to do what you said… pray about it and place it at His feet :)
I think these verses are a great reminder for me today with the election so close to not worry. There is a lot of negativity going around out there but God is in control and He will give us His peace. My focus is on His plan!
Missy, you said it! I'm not a worrier per se (my husband does enough of that for both of us); but the possible results of the upcoming election does give anxiety to me. You're right, God is in control and will give us His peace.
Rejoicing in all seasons has been a new deliberate choice for me over the last year or so. After reading the popular One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp, I began listing the multitude of reasons I could rejoice each day. It doesn't take long to arrive at 1,000 but the change of perspective it worked in me has caused me to continue my list! Considering the many blessings I see, and knowing that there are many more God's is giving even without my awareness is astounding. She's not promoting a "health and wealth" sort of gospel, rather she's encouraging us to sincerely breed thanksgiving a Biblical practice born from these verses and many others. I found this especially helpful during a very long and difficult season when my husband suffered greatly with anxiety and many effects of it. We're so thankful to be in this place now, by God's grace. We have seen God work in ways I really didn't know would be possible.
Thanks for the book summary! I was trying to find a new book to read for a long plane flight coming up…this looks perfect and well timed!
I also read her book and felt it was life changing. To rejoice always is a discipline of the mind. But it rewards us with peace that transcends all understanding.
I’m continually struck lately with the truth of the gospel, and the way it presents itself in all of scripture. I love that in this passage we are given things to do: rejoice, don’t worry, be gentle. And THEN–we’re told that the peace of God will guard our hearts. I think that this list, and all these things to remember to do, would feel pretty hopeless were it not for those words. I love the reminder that yes, we have things to strive for and we have commands. But at the end of every day, it is 100% Christ in me that accomplishes these things, and not any of my own work. At this point in my life, I feel like God is pounding this truth into me. This is probably the 6th or 7th time I’ve done a study on Philippians, and usually I come out with a to-do list. A way for me to fix my thoughts, to be better, to be more joyful, etc. This time, my joy is coming from the burden being lifted that I don’t have to be better. I need only to respond to grace. And now my prayer is that I stop taking that grace for granted! If I truly lived the truth of the gospel each day, how could I help but to be filled with joy? The problems come when I forget.