JULY 29

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES:

NAMES FOR GOD:

JEHOVAH MAGINNENU—LORD OUR DEFENSE

JEHOVAH GOELEKH—LORD YOUR REDEEMER

JEHOVAH ELOHIM—LORD GOD

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This month we will read the book, “Whatever Happens – How to Stand Firm in Your Faith When the World is Falling Apart.”  By a contemporary author of many best-selling Christian books, Robert J. Morgan.  He took care of his wife when she had MS, until she went home to her Savior.  “He knows of which he speaks.”  I pray that this book blesses you.

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Philippians 2:19-24

“But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.  For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.  For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.  But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.  Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me.  But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.”

BE CHEERFUL BUT NOT NAÏVE

Again in verses 19 and 20 Paul said, “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.  I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare.”

The balance for psychological well-being is to be concerned but not anxious, and cheerful but not naïve.  This is a helpful reminder to me because I’ve always struggled with these things.  I think I was born in the negative case.  Once when I was in college, I was moping around, depressed and discouraged.  Sometimes I had trouble getting out of bed because of despondency.

One day my roommate, Bill, came into the room and said, “Robert, I’ve been studying the life of the great evangelist Dwight l. Moody, and you remind me of him.”

“How’s that? I said.

“Because you’re so moody.”

If you’re moody, I want to encourage you to do what I’ve done.  Go through the Bible and find out what it says about the joyful life.  Using the word search function at Bible Gateway, I was surprised to find how many times the following words appeared:

“Joy”  242 times

“rejoice” 177 times

“glad”    108 times

“delight”   105 ties

“comfort”  71 times

Celebrate ..68 times

“enjoy” …57 times

“happy”  … 20 times

“cheer”  ….13 times

“Merry”…..5 times

“overjoyed”…5 times

That’s 1088 times the Bible talks about being cheerful.  It comes almost exactly to three verses for every  day of the year, without repeating any.  I can tell you from  personal experience that nothing compares to searching out these verses and making a list  of the ones that the Lord especially wants to give you.  Write them down.  Put them on cards. Memorize them.  Internalize them.

When you feel anxious, go to your cheerful verses and claim them.

Find ways of keeping these verses at the forefront of  your  attention.

BE IN THE LORD JESUS

Notice how Paul begins and ends this paragraph:  “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon…I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.”  IN THE LORD.  The phrase means something to Paul.  Look at these verses too:

Philippians 1:14 ~ “and because of my chains, most of my brothers and sisters have become confident IN THE LORD and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”

Philippians 2:29 ~ “so then, welcome him IN THE LORD with great joy.”

Philippians 3:1 ~ “further, ….rejoice IN THE LORD”

Philippians 4:1 ~ “therefore,….you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm IN THE LORD.”

This phrase occurs 9 times in the book of Philippians, and the related phrase “in Christ” occurs another 8 times.  This is Paul’s signature phrase.  If you could take all 13 of Paul’s epistles, and reduce them to one phrase, this would be it.  “In Christ” occurs over 200 times in his writings.

Scholars have a hard time pinning down all that Paul meant to convey with this phrase.  What does it mean?

It means you are no longer outside.  You’re an insider.  You are inside the love and redemption of Jesus Christ.  You are in union with Him.  The gospel of John calls this “abiding in Christ.”  Your whole life is lived within His grace.

Today so many people are outside of Christ….outside of peace…….outside of the eternal life He gives.  Jesus said in John 10:9, “I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.”

When you are IN the Lord Jesus Christ, He provides the foundation for staying as cheerful as possible.  He helps you to grow emotionally and spiritually, to become someone who knows how to be concerned without anxiety and how to be cheerful without being naïve.

Whatever happens, let’s live like that.

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