“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)
Paul’s words are quite relevant to believers in the modern world. We need to heed them because we are in the midst of political and social upheaval when the media and social activists are all speaking words of division, ridicule, immorality, ungodliness, and hatred. Though people talk hate so much these days, God loves everyone even those who don’t love or obey Him, who do bad things to others.
We believers must not join in this though we may be tempted to respond with acrimonious rhetoric in person or in social media. Such corrupt responses negate our testimony about the gospel, the love and mercy of God in Christ Jesus. Rather, we should focus on the good things in our world, the primary one of course, the rule and reign of King Jesus.
And so Paul presents keys to living as a servant in the midst of the world which is constantly influencing us to conform. Our attitude should not be negative and complaining, but joyful and contented with whatever we have. We should thank God for what we have rather than what we do not. We should be gentle in our dealings with everyone, not angry or vengeful. We should be willing to do whatever is required by the Lord to win them to Him for unless they come to faith, they will suffer eternal suffering apart from His presence. Though we become anxious or afraid, we ought to bring our concerns to the Lord and ask Him for strength to endure. That is a hard thing to do but we have to focus on God’s sufficiency rather than our impotence. He will give us peace in the midst of all of our struggles.
Why then do we waste so much time and energy complaining about the bad things we see in the world? There is just so much negative news that it is a struggle to remember all the beautiful wonders of the universe that the Lord has set in place. And as far as the bad things that happen and all the suffering human beings endure, we should work to alleviate that suffering through the use of our time, talents, and finances. After all, we are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus. The Holy Spirit will use us to counteract the evil in the world by doing what is right, good, and true rather than praising or joining in with those cultural systems, values, idols, politicians, business executives, and celebrities who seek only their own glory. When we live according to the standards of God’s Kingdom we will show forth the glory and love of Jesus give glory and honor Him alone above all this world exalts.