Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to "Joni and Friends".
Okay, how did this happen… November is just about behind us and Christmas is right around the corner?! I can’t believe it! Aren’t you glad that God is Lord over time?! He holds the seasons in His hands; He superintends our days… and He gives us more than enough wisdom to settle into every change, whether it’s a change in the month or the season or, well… a holiday. Goodbye Thanksgiving; hello Christmas.
And as the Christmas season is now officially underway, I know that you, like me, want to keep the main thing about Jesus the main thing, right? And I know you want to reflect Him, especially over the next few weeks… reflect Him to your family and friends (you know, not let the Christmas rush make you crabby).
Well, there’s a great series of commands in God's Word; one quick command, right after another to remind you to reflect Jesus in all that you say and do today. Those commands are listed in Philippians chapter 4, beginning with verse 4 where it says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing…” Yes, those are commands. I asked my pastor about it (he’s a Greek scholar) and, what do you know, these things are written in the imperative. In other words, it is vital, it is urgent, it is necessary and needful that you do these things. Rejoice in the Lord, always… and the Bible says it again, “Rejoice!” Do it. Don’t neglect it. And what’s the source of our rejoicing? The Lord… rejoice in the Lord! We rejoice in Him and His wonderful salvation, provision of grace, tender mercies toward us, comfort and on and on and on.
Next (and here comes the remedy for being crabby): Be gentle. More than that, let your gentleness be evident to all. Get rid of the rough edges; put a smile on your face; choose the right attitude when you get up tomorrow morning; and be gentle: be tender and moderate toward your family and coworkers; extend grace; don’t be overbearing. How can you do that? Why should you be that way? Well, look at this very next verse: “because the Lord is near.” Get into the habit of remembering that He’s looking right over your shoulder. His eyes are always upon you. He sees the way you deal with people. “The Lord is near”, the Bible says. He is the one who sees us, so let that strike a little holy fear in your heart – and be gentle. It’s a command. Just as the command to rejoice, it is necessary that you be gentle. And the next command? (Boy, there are a lot of them in these short couple of verses from Philippians). Be anxious for nothing. Be rejoicing, be gentle, and be anxious for nothing – and if you are these things, then the rest of the verse gives great advice: “In everything, 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.”
Oh, thank the Lord for the Prince of Peace… Jesus gives His peace… this wonderful Christmas season coming up is all about celebrating peace on earth and good will toward men. I hope you’ll remember these short but important little commands from Philippians chapter 4… and may they help you handle the stress as we enter this busy season. To give you a little more help, stop by my radio page at joniandfriends.org and ask for your free CD of Christmas Carols for a Kid’s Heart. It’s a season for singing… and a season for rejoicing, being gentle, and not being anxious… all because the Lord is near.
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