Facebook PagePastor’s Newsletter Article
This is the latest of the articles Pastor Richert writes for the monthly church newsletter.
Joy & Peace In Jesus
In our study of the book of Philippians, we were reminded of the joy and peace we can have in our lives. Paul exhorted us to “rejoice in the Lord always” (4:4). Joy doesn’t always come naturally to us, because we live in a world full of pain and suffering that robs us of our joy. We don’t feel like rejoicing when things in our lives are all messed up. But we can choose to rejoice “in the Lord” when we consider that God loves us and is using everything in our lives to for our good.
Paul went on to exhort us to not worry about anything, but pray about everything (4:6). He then promised that “the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (4:7). We don’t feel peace when our lives seem out of our control and we’re worried that bad things are going to happen to us. But we can experience peace “in Christ Jesus” when we choose to trust that God is in control and is working everything for our good.
We can have joy and peace because Jesus came into this world. The angel gave the shepherds “good news of great joy” that Jesus had been born. The angels then proclaimed that Jesus had brought peace to men (Lk. 2:10-14). We have both joy and peace in Jesus.
