Readings:
Zephaniah 1: 7, 12-end;
Psalm 90: 1-8;
1 Thess 5: 1-11;
Matthew 25: 14-30

Collect:
Heavenly Lord,
you long for the world’s salvation:
stir us for apathy,
restrain us from excess
and revive in us new hope
that all creation will one day be healed,
in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Reflection -Philippians 4:2-9

All throughout the book of Philippians Paul has been giving exhortations in his efforts to encourage a joyous life. Drawing from his own experience, Paul speaks of his joy in the Lord. He has shown us how that we can rejoice in situations where many would be surprised to find joy. In loving God's people, in knowing our purpose, in fighting for what’s right, in serving others, in the life the Lord himself has made possible for us: (to know him, to be forgiven by him, to have his power working in us and to appreciate in suffering what he suffered for us, and to have the hope of heaven when we die.) 

But now, in Philippians chapter four as Paul brings his exhortations to a close, he appeals to the Philippians one last time to rejoice in the Lord. One final time Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord"; but this time he adds one significant word - "always". How can that be? How is it possible for a Christian to maintain a sense of joy when life presents so many problems? I think we can find some answers in Paul's final exhortations about rejoicing in the Lord – Philippians 4:4-9. 

There are four problem areas that so easily make us slip out of the joy in the Lord into depression and despair: Petty annoyances of life (people problems), Worry (circumstances beyond our control), Negative thinking (getting into a critical mentality, focusing on what is bad in the world), Guilt (a simple awareness of our own failures). Alternatively, bad people, bad things, bad thoughts, and bad deeds. Yet in spite of these challenges Paul says we can be joyful people! Paul tells us that we can experience a serenity of spirit, a joyful calmness of soul that will enable us to weather whatever storms we face. How then can we rejoice in the Lord always? 

React Right - Think how often life presents petty annoyances. Do people do things that bugs us? How can we keep the people around us from driving us crazy? We must learn to react to life’s annoyances with forbearance. It is basically a matter of awareness and a determination not to let other’s dictate our moods by their behavior! And we need to practice it with everyone. But what gives us the ability to keep putting up with these things? It's the Lord! His presence reminds us of his awareness of our problems and his coming to vindicate our cause. The Lord's presence reminds us of the need to control ourselves lest we sin against him! 

Pray Right, Worry Less - Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Worry is one of the greatest challenges to a joyous life. The word Paul uses means to be "pulled in different directions" - a mental tug of war between faith and doubt and we are the rope! Prayer is a vital part of a joyous life. God never promised to take away our problems. But he has given us a means to deal with them! When we're worried, we need to recover our perspective. Do we have things to be thankful for even in the midst of our problems? If a problem is big enough to worry about it is big enough to pray about! 

Think Right, Refrain from negative thinking - Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. Verse 8

Think for a moment about the fact that the world offers a great deal to think about that is unworthy of our time and that leads to sadness and perhaps even anger. We live in a world of lies, dishonor, distortion, sensuality, gossip, abuse, neglect and mismanagement. When we begin to focus upon what's wrong with the world; what's wrong with others; what's wrong in our lives, negative thinking takes over and we are annoyed, disgusted, and depressed. But Paul's solution is simple. It is to reverse all these things. Think right! We can think about truth, honor, beauty in our world and the people around us, good character, deeds worthy of appreciation. 

Live Right, Guilt free living - One of the greatest enemies of peace in the soul is guilt, unless we have a seared conscience. Our own heart tells us whether we are right with God or not. Whether we are true to the truth that we know. God expects us to live up to the level of knowledge we have accumulated, living right means we allow our lives to reflect the glory God in whose nature we partake as his children. When we live right, we are no longer burdened by guilt because we know that all our misdeed has been forgiven by God and we stand guiltless before him!

Paul shows us how we can conquer the situations of life that interfere with our joy. He shows us how the Lord makes it possible for us to a have peace that passes understanding in a world of chaos and agitation...always.

Adedayo Adebiyi