Day 34 - REJOICE! - a Generous Culture 

Philippians 4:4-9

PAUSE –
Take a deep breath, offer this time and your focus to the Lord with the Psalmist

      May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. 
        Psalm 19:14

REJOICE in his goodness with Psalm 19:1-4a

      The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

      Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.

      They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.

      Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

What might happen if Chick-Fil-A trained our church greeters? Have you noticed the power of one simple response:  MY PLEASURE! There is something that a simple two-word response communicates. It goes above and beyond being polite.  It is a declaration of delight.  Saying “You’re Welcome!” is perfectly polite and respectful.  It communicates willing service. But remarking “My Pleasure!” is a declaration of joy, eagerness even. I still find myself a bit surprised whenever I hear it said.  I’m convinced the habit even lends itself to creating belief in both the one speaking it and the one hearing it.  When you hear it everywhere all the time, it shapes the environment.  Is it easier to deliver chicken sandwiches to a car on a cold and windy day than it is to deliver burgers? No, but when customers say, “Thank you!” and hear “My Pleasure” in response, it creates an atmosphere of pleasure. What you focus on, what you say, and how you treat others can create transformation in you and potentially create a culture of joy. 

READ AND REFLECT on our text for today: Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me - put into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you. 

In our culture today our Christian values, morals, and traditions have come under fire at many levels.  The world our children and grandchildren are facing is very different from the world I knew as a kid. People scroll through social media, and watch hours and hours of troubling news… Everyone is on edge, anxious, filled with fear and rage…Our greatest temptation in a time like this is to go on the attack. 

But, if we want to change the culture it seems we need to change the culture. Rather than shouting louder, feeding our fears, and looking for someone to blame we should change our focus.  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:Rejoice!  In this short Epistle to the Philippians the word joy or rejoice is used no less than 16 times. Imagine the heart transformation if every time I started to complain about our culture I chose, instead, to rejoice.  Pastor Paul Alf has a message where he has the whole church singing out: “Choose JOY”.  He’s creating a culture of celebration. 

REREAD AND REFLECT on Philippians 4:4-9 again.  Read it aloud. 

What words or phrases stand out to you?  Pay attention to any cynical thoughts that come to mind that challenge the power of intentional Joy and a determination to focus on the good, the pure, the beautiful things. 

Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me - put into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you. 

I was struck by the promise of the presence of God associated with both the declaration of Joy and the intentional focus on positive God-glorifying realities. 

• The Lord is near.

• And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds…

• And the God of all peace will be with you. 

How do we create an environment and culture of peace? CHOOSE JOY!!

• Focus on true and praiseworthy things. 

• Change your language and your thoughts.

ASK -
Lord, reveal the unpleasant and impure focus of my attention that fosters anxiety and the absence of peace. Help me to see the beauty around me, the excellent and praiseworthy people and creativity around me. May I declare your praises and rejoice out loud!

Perhaps we should all say, “My pleasure!” every time someone says “thank you” today. 

YIELD -
Invite the Lord to reveal every time that your mind wanders to focus on negative things. Determine to rejoice in the Lord instead. Turn off the news. Avoid negative scrolling.  Do whatever it takes to focus on God’s goodness for 24 hours. 

Let’s make this song our prayer again today.  We need to begin a new culture of beauty and joy!

May the mind of Christ my Savior live in me from day to day.

By His love and power controlling all I do and say. 

May the word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour,

So that all may see I triumph only through His power.

May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea, 

Him exalting, self-abasing, this is victory.

May His beauty rest upon me as I seek the lost to win,

And may they forget the channel, seeing only him. 

May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe,

Looking only unto Jesus as I onward go.

May the peace of God my Father rule my life in everything 

That I may be calm to comfort sick and sorrowing.