WEEK ONE
Day Five
DAILY SCRIPTURE
Philippians 1:18
LEADER GUIDE QUESTIONS
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Know: Read Philippians 1:18-20, 2 Corinthians 1:8-11
Note: Read slowly, carefully marking keywords.
Christ is preached, rejoice, my deliverance, Spirit of Jesus Christ, expectation and hope, boldness, death
Observation:
Why did Paul rejoice?
Where did Paul put his hope?
What: What are you worried about today?
“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:18-20
In 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, Paul described the trouble he endured in Asia. He said he and his companions were “burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.” Paul thought he was going to be killed. His spirits were so low that he felt the low seep into his heart and mind.
Paul didn’t always feel like rejoicing. He was always facing threats of persecution and torture. In fact, when Paul referred to “the thorn in his side” (2 Cor 12:7), he was referring to the people who were constantly threatening his life. (more on this in another passage) “I die daily,” Paul said in reference to the daily threat of death (1 Cor 15:31).
His feelings came and went, but one thing is consistent in Paul’s writing: his belief never wavered.
There is a difference between what we feel and what is true. God gives us our emotions to enjoy life and the presence of God; to feel is a good thing. It means you’re alive. But we must not be led by our emotions.
Emotions can lie to us and convince us that reality is truth, but reality is not truth. Truth is based on what Jesus has said and done.
When my kids were young, it never failed that one of them would be hungry and cry hysterically at some point. I could be preparing a meal, and the tears would flow: “I’m so hungry!” I would look at them and ask, “When have you ever missed a meal?” I never let my kids go hungry, but every time, they felt as if that would be the moment I would fail them. Once they ate, they were fine.
How often do we look at a problem and feel overwhelmed when we are in the midst of it? We begin inventing scenarios that never lead to victorious outcomes. We replay arguments so that we will be the winners; we nurture offenses until we are the victims. We grow distant, sad, and angry.
Rarely do we rejoice in God.
Rejoicing is our weapon because it causes us to view trials and hard scenarios through the right lens. When offended, we tend to put on “offense lenses.” We either become bullies and manipulate to control people, or we victimize ourselves and snap at minor issues; all are responses based on an underlying motive rooted in a lack of identity. Knowing you are loved by God keeps you in His love, which measures your joy meter.
The Bible tells the story of three young Israelites taken captive by a Babylonian king. The king erected a golden image to which all the people in the land must bow at certain times of the day or risk being burned alive in a fiery furnace. They refused to bow down to the idol.
"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve can deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up" (Daniel 3:17-18)
These boys were keenly aware of God’s nature and character. They were not swayed by thier fear. After they were thrown into the furnace, the king was shocked to see the boys alive and a fourth man in the fire with them.
We decide how we will be moved: by our emotions or by the truth of who God says He is.
Throughout the years, my joy barometer was based on how well life was going. When there was peace, no major flare-up to throw me off course, I had a sense of joy. When my children were getting along, I felt joy. when my husband and I saw eye to eye perfectly, I felt joy. But when anything threw off my joy equilibrium, I was in the “depths of despair.”
That kind of joy is based on emotion, better defined as happiness.
True joy is not a feeling; It is a weapon of warfare. It is the word “chara” which means “calm delight, to be well.”
Emotions will create scenarios and cause worry. Worry is the opposite of believing. It takes a scenario and replays it over and over. It meditates on the worst-case scenario.
To believe is to bring God's truth to a scenario and replay it repeatedly. It is to meditate on God's promises. If you can worry, you can meditate. To have joy in any situation is to have a calm joy that God will always be faithful.
If you squeeze an orange, you should get orange juice. If you squeeze a Christian, you should get Christ.
What are you worried about today?
How can you take God's truth, align it against that worry, and replace it with rejoicing?