When Philippians 4:4 says rejoice always, it REALLY means always, even when your van is stolen out of your driveway.
Yep, our van was stolen out of our driveway last week. Gone. Zip. Sayōnara. But here is the best part. I had already recorded my One Verse’s for the week, but I hadn’t edited them. Philippians 4:4 was supposed to go live on Thursday. Our van was stolen on Wednesday. So, after a day of calling the police, calling into work, calling insurance, driving almost 2 hours to borrow my mom’s car, and being totally drained, I went to edit my podcast for Thursday. And what pulls up? What verse do I read and hear my own voice teaching? Rejoice always. Rejoice. ALWAYS. I could only laugh. Of course it would be that verse! But the thing is, we had been rejoicing that day. I prayed with my family (in front of my children so they would hear it) thanking God that we were all safe. It had been our van, nor our home. We lost some things, but nothing that was life changing. Once you get past the frustration, you realize it’s really just an inconvenience. Now, we could have been angry. We could have been bitter. But, oddly enough, we felt the peace of God. Rejoice always. It may not always be easy. I mean, how do we rejoice after the Orlando shooting? We can mourn. But even the newscasters were highlighting some heroic individuals, both Public Servants and civilians. One man came called into the Today Show to share his story. He had been in the club. At the end of his account, I heard Willie Geist say (almost through tears), “Wow, you saved that man’s life.” Rejoice always. This world wants to beat you down. There is evil and heartache and terror in the world. Rejoice always. Circumstances will happen. Rejoice always. How? Because you always have a Savior who loves you!
About One VerseOne Verse is a short, free daily devotional designed to help you grow closer to God through less than 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
Consistency trumps intensity. When it comes to working out, eating healthy, or managing our finances, consistency always trumps intensity. We reach our major life goals through small, purposeful steps taken daily. The same is true in our spiritual lives. I truly believe you will grow closer to God by spending just 5 minutes a day with Him versus cramming in an hour once a month. The One Verse Devotional is here to help take away the barriers of spending time with God. Now, during your workout, drive to work, or even shopping for groceries, you can invest in your spiritual life.
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