Day 24 The Joy of Exalting Jesus “so that you may approve the things that are excellent… having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippines 1:10-11 This week was particularly a tough week- come to think of it, any week in LA is tough. I don’t mean to grip but the traffic, the people, the expectations, the deadlines; it seems to never end. After getting home from church, I loaded up the kids to go to the mall with me to run an errand. How long does it take for two girls to get ready? Then the traffic, why do people insist to drive at or slower than flowing traffic in the car pool lane? And why am I always trapped behind a driver who crawls along in the parking lot looking for the closest parking space? And why is the mall ALWAYS so crowded? But there was the store I was looking for, the purse I know is the perfect gift. So you go to stand in line behind the guy who is buying 12 purses who doesn’t speak English… But today is my wife’s birthday, its all so worth it, nothing could take my joy away. Next to the Jesus Himself, Paul is perhaps the greatest living example that joy is not necessarily related to one’s circumstances. Paul wrote to the Philippians from a prison cell, and yet he spoke of joy and contentment. His life was a series of difficulties and hardships. He includes a glimpse of his life in 2 Cor. 11 when he testifies of his beatings, imprisonments, ship wrecks, near drowning. His letters often includes names of those who personally betrayed him. The beginning of Philippines, he speaks of individuals who were preaching out of selfish ambition to cause distress to Paul while he was imprisoned. In fact the Lord, shortly after confronting him on the road to Damascus, said, “Paul is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:15–16). Yet, in every situation Paul found cause for rejoicing. His compelling desire to exalt Christ drove him to endure trial after trial. When Christ was exalted, Paul rejoiced. That was evident in Philippi where, after a brief ministry in which God redeemed a businesswoman named Lydia and expelled demons from a slave girl, Paul and Silas were falsely accused, unjustly beaten, and thrown into prison. Even that didn’t stifle their joy, for “about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25). That was such a powerful testimony to the joy of the Lord that soon afterward the jailer and his entire family believed the gospel and were saved. Even when imprisonment prevented Paul from ministering as effectively as he desired, and when others usurped his apostleship and preached Christ out of envy and strife, he remained undaunted (Phil. 1:18). His circumstances were secondary to the priority of exalting Christ. Is that your perspective? It can be and it should be! If your priority is to exalt Christ in every circumstance, whatever furthers that purpose will bring you joy. But if it is not, then almost anything will rob you of your joy. Ask the Lord to help you maintain the priority of exalting Christ in every area of your life. If you feel envy or resentment toward others, confess that, and learn to rejoice whenever Christ is exalted. May God bless you. -Pastor Sung
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 03:05:24 +0000
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