The road to peace is paved with thanksgiving

 At times, I’ll read a verse that I memorized when I was younger and ignore the context. It’s not that I’m trying to do that or that I’m unaware of contextual importance. “Context is king” has been beaten into my brain since I was a youth. I get that and embrace that truth. Yet, when I have an isolated verse memorized, I can easily default into focusing just on that verse and missing the surrounding context.

This morning in my bible app, such a verse popped up. It’s a wonderful verse with a powerful truth in and of itself. Philippians 4:9, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” You don’t necessarily need much context to understand the truth of that verse. It’s a basic verse on discipleship. Paul challenged the believers in Philippi to put into practice the lessons he taught and the lessons he lived by example. We get that.

 But having recently read through Philippians, I was familiar with the context of that isolated verse and had to examine it more closely. What were some of Paul’s immediate instructions he had given just prior to verse 9? In verse 4, he instructed the believers to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Then he says it again, “Rejoice,” just in case it didn’t sink in the first time. Rejoicing must be an important emphasis in discipleship if Paul felt he needed to repeat the command.

 A couple verses later (verse 6), Paul brings in the element of thanksgiving. When we are tempted to be anxious, we should bring those requests to God, but not without offering thanksgiving to go along with the requests. Rejoicing and thanksgiving are inseparable twins. I don’t think it is even possible to rejoice without thanksgiving. I rejoice because I am thankful.

 So that Paul’s lesson for the believers in Philippi (and for us in the United States)—“Rejoice!” A lesson they (and we) need to put into practice according to verse 9. But now let’s look at verse 10. “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.”

 Paul not only taught the lesson, he modeled the lesson. He commanded the believers to rejoice and then informed them that he personally “rejoiced in the Lord greatly.” The Philippian believers sent a gift to Paul to provide for his needs while he was in prison. Paul immediately responds with thanksgiving and rejoicing. He told the believers “It was kind of you to share my trouble” and referred to their gift as a “fragrant offering” and a “sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.”

 Here is a man imprisoned and yet finds reason to rejoice and give thanks. The believers send this gift and Paul receives it with joy. Yet, he also notes in verse 11 that his joy is not dependent on whether or not he has food and clothing. He has learned to find contentment in Christ no matter the situation. Whether he has food or no food, he has found reason to rejoice in Christ who gives him strength. But the gift from the Philippians is certainly worth rejoicing and giving thanks for, and Paul lives out his command, “Rejoice in the Lord always.”

 Now here is the link to peace. Paul said when you practice these things “the God of peace will be with you.” When you practice rejoicing and giving thanks, peace will follow. Earlier in verse 7, he mentioned that the peace of God will guard our hearts when we bring our requests with thanksgiving. Paul practiced rejoicing and thanksgiving and found peace and contentment.

 He learned the path to peace is paved with thanksgiving. He found reason to rejoice in Christ everyday and in every situation. It didn’t mean that life was easy. Remember Paul is in prison as he writes this. Yet this gift from the Philippians triggered a great rejoicing in his life because he had developed a predisposition for thanksgiving in any and every situation.

 The longer I live as a follower of Jesus, the more I’m convinced that the practice of rejoicing and thanksgiving is fundamental for a healthy Christian life. If I’m brushing aside this command to rejoice and give thanks, I’m going to miss the peace and contentment God desires for me. Max Lucado once asked, “What if you woke up this morning and had only the things you thanked God for yesterday?”

 Makes you think, doesn’t it?

 I want to develop a predisposition like Paul toward rejoicing and thanksgiving. It’s easy to find things to complain about, but I want to flip that switch and reroute my neural pathways to a disposition of rejoicing and thanksgiving. I’ve started a daily thanksgiving journal to help with that. I try to look for different reasons to rejoice every day. And even though there are some repeats that get thrown in my journal there are new reasons for thanksgiving also.

 My thanksgiving involves not only what has happened in my favor but what hasn’t happened in my disfavor. The other day I was going up the stairs at my house and almost lost my balance. I could have easily tumbled backward and injured myself. But thankfully, I didn’t. How many times has God spared me a disaster? I’m grateful for those times I’ve been spared potential harm. I’m also thankful for the positives. I’m thankful for those who have spoken into my life over the years and were willing to invest in me. I’m thankful for the gifts and abilities God has given me and allowed me to develop. I’m thankful for children when my wife and I thought we would never have any. I’m thankful for friends who check in on me and encourage me. I’m thankful for the daily bread that sustains me and that I have in abundance. I’m thankful for shelter from the elements, for the beauty of creation, and even for the senses and ability to enjoy that beauty. There are so many reasons to rejoice and give thanks!

 What if I woke up this morning and had only the things that I thanked God for yesterday? 

 What about you? Have you taken some time to rejoice and give thanks today? If not, I encourage you to pause right now and do that. And if you’re struggling with peace and contentment, remember that the road to peace is paved with thanksgiving.