RMC# 4- Rejoice Always
Dr. Clayton Oliphint, our pastor, taught on Thessalonians 5: 11-24 a couple of weeks ago and I found my notes from his sermon. Thessalonians was for me a powerful and positive writing about the human and Christian condition, of course written by the ultimate “green”- Saint Paul.
So I want to point out some of his direct comments from Clayton with comments following from me at the end.
Thessalonians 5: 11-24
11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Final Instructions
12 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.
13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
16 Be joyful always; (“Rejoice always” is another translation)
17 pray continually;
“Lifting up for prayer is a constant awareness of God in our life.”
18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you. Acknowledge the pain. Counteract the pain by asking for God’s help.”
19 Do not put out the Spirit’s fire;
20 do not treat prophecies with contempt.
21 Test everything. Hold on to the good.
22 Avoid every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
“Happiness is a surface emotion- how we are feeling right now. Joy is a foundational value- as in always having a joyful spirit through Jesus Christ.”
My original Choices contract was: “I am an Honest and Happy Man”. I carried this contract with me for about 7 years. Coming from a man who’s name tag was “Phoney Baloney”, I thought happiness was what I wanted to have. As in: “No conflicts, no problems”. How much happier would my life be if I could avoid having conflicts and problems? As I began to TA and began to teach Disciple Bible classes at my church and went on the Walk to Emmaus, I kept falling in love with all of these people who had all of these problems. In the last 8+ years I have seen friends I really care for die in car wrecks, have nasty divorces, have kids in trouble, suicides, drug abuse, alcoholism, cancers… and on and on.
You know what I found in all of this… JOY.
I found that by smiling at someone I could change their day. I found that by taking the time to write about something I loved, I could make someone smile and change the course of their day. I found out that making a simple phone call can make someone not do something they don’t want to do. I have found out that I can hug someone when they are high on drugs not judge them for what they are going through. I found that just being present and listening was enough sometimes.
I have found a strength within me through prayer that I did not have before.
I now understand that my life is important, that I make a difference and that I am invincible when I acknowledge that God is inside of me.
I have information for you: Your life is important, you make a difference and you are invincible when you acknowledge the God is inside of you.
About a year ago I changed my contract, greens always have that prerogative, to “I am an Honest and Joyous Man”. As with many new things I had to “try” it on for a while. It didn’t feel real comfortable since we all know that “trying is lying”. So I did what every good Choices person does, I acted my way into a feeling. And, I have since decided that everything about life has a foundation of JOY in it that is only clouded by the human condition.
So now I really understand what it means to jump for JOY. Love, Durk
