EVERY and ALL with JOY!

Presently I am working several part time jobs and one of them gives me a lot of time to pray and think. So yesterday I began memorizing the book of Philippians and when I got to Philippians 1 verses 3 and 4 I was just consumed with the message that is being communicated there. Paul wrote, "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy..." Those verses really stirred me up. Paul says that EVERY TIME - not just sometimes, not just when things are going well, not just when the memories are good and the news about them was good and life was going well - but EVERY TIME he remembered them he thanked God. In other words he is not thinking of them in terms of circumstances. Rather he is thinking of them in terms of the way God views them. You see he knows that God delights in them, God rejoices over them, God celebrates them. Therefore no matter what is happening in their lives and no matter whether they are doing great or not so great, Paul is able to thank God EVERY TIME he remembers them.

Not only that, in ALL his prayers - not just some of his prayers but ALL of them, not just when he is feeling good but in ALL his prayers for ALL of them he ALWAYS prays with joy. Notice his prayers are for ALL of them - not just some of them or most of them or the them that he likes, but ALL of them. And when he prays - he ALWAYS prays with JOY. WOW!!! That is good stuff. When I was thinking about it I realized quickly that I could not say the same thing about my prayers. I do not always pray with joy. Quite often my prayers are more in the desperate or the pleading mode or just the "there I prayed and did it" mode. Not Paul - he is consumed with heart of God who celebrates and rejoices that we are His.

The point for me is that no matter what is going on in life, there is always thanks and joy to be had if we see life from God's perspective. That is what Paul did and today and in the days to come that is what I choose to do as well. How about you?