Rejoice and Be Thankful

Philippians 4: 4 - 8 (NIV): Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

To rejoice means to be full of joy and let everyone know it. When we realize how much God loves us, and the wonderful future he has planned for us, we can become full of joy. And when we are full of joy, it shines out of us so that all around can see it. Perhaps the best advertisement we have for our faith is people seeing the joy in our lives. A joy that stays even when circumstances are not so pleasant. That's because we realize that the trials we face today are only temporary. Our loving friendship with God will last for all eternity.
The next part of this passage is one of my favorite verses. In The Living Bible it says, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus."
We'll all choose today to either worry or pray. When we pray, that will ease the worry. Paul knew when he wrote this from prison how easy it is for us to sit and worry about what's going to happen. After all, he was awaiting a trial to see if he would be executed for his faith. But the more we realize that God is in control and knows what he's doing, the less we will worry. If we don't really believe God knows what's best for us, or that he is powerful enough to make it happen, then our minds will be filled with worry.
When we pray, let's remember to be thankful. It's good to ask God for blessings, but let's remember to thank him for the ones he's already given. In fact, let's really show our faith and thank God for the blessings he's going to give.
Finally, if we want to live worry-free lives, we must fill our thoughts with good things. We have to do our part. Do you think about things that are true, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy? How much time do you spend thinking about God? How much time do you spend meditating on his Word? If we fill our minds with evil day after day, we shouldn't expect God to bust through that and give us peace.