Day 10 | Philippians 4:1-7
“Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Stand Fast
God promises that when we build our life, our marriage, our home upon His Word, we will be strengthened to stand whatever trials may come.
Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”
Psalm 16:8 “I have set the LORD (Yahweh) always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope.”
Paul also encourages us to, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free…” (Galatians 5:1). If we truly embrace the freedom that we receive in Christ—learning to rest in His care as He rests in His Father’s care—no powers of darkness will be able to steal the joy we have in Him.
Colossians 1:12-13 “…Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,”
Acts 16:22-26 “Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.”
From an earthly perspective, no one would have blamed Paul or Silas for being discouraged and even depressed in the midst of this experience, but what do we see instead? Even being beaten and thrown in prison couldn’t take away their freedom in Christ! In fact, the freedom that they held onto was so powerful, expressed through their songs of rejoicing as they laid bare-backed and bloodied on the prison floor, that its heavenly vibrations affected their physical situation. It shook the very foundations of the earth, and impacted everyone around them. The physical prison was proven to have no power to restrain the freedom that exists in Christ. And their faithfulness to stand fast in the Lord resulted not only in bringing physical freedom to the other prisoners, but bringing spiritual freedom to the jailer and his entire household (Acts 16:27-34). When we take hold of the Lord’s strength to stand fast in Him, we will see prison doors fall open in our own lives and marriages as well, and this atmosphere of freedom will be felt by all within our sphere of influence.
Gentleness Known By All
Do others see gentleness in the way we response to our spouse, especially when they’ve done something wrong? Does our demeanor reveal the unconditional love of Christ?
When we keep in the forefront of our minds the fact that all sin hurts Jesus personally (Isaiah 63:9), we gain a whole new appreciation for the way that He treated those living in sin. Recall how He spoke to the woman who was caught in adultery,
John 8:10-11 “When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
The world expects us (and even encourages us) to lash out and defend ourselves against those who cause us pain. But Jesus has never done this, though every one of us has caused Him great pain. Thus, manifesting gentleness when others expect harshness is a mighty revelation of the power of God to transform the human heart into His likeness. Others will notice this difference and be drawn to you, to learn of the One who has done this for you! When we manifest His gentleness in our marriages and our homes, we will certainly stand out as a “peculiar people” (I Pet. 2:9), and bear witness that truly “the Lord is at hand.”
Praying with Thanksgiving
The peace of God which passes all understanding, keeping us calm, gentle, and joyful in the midst of any difficulty, will only be ours as we learn to pray with thanksgiving. (Phil. 4:6) Simply supplicating God with our requests will not have the same effect. In fact, talking to God about all of our problems, and stopping there, is more likely to increase anxiety, because our mind is left focused on the problem, and not the solution. But when we choose to thank God for the problem and thank Him for the answer that we yet cannot see, we are exercising faith in choosing to trust that God has the solution, and leave our focus there. Thus, as you cultivate this thankfulness in all things, you will surely see His promise realized as your heart, home, and marriage are flooded with His supernatural peace.
