Everyday Christian Living: Reflect & Rejoice

Psalm 48:9

We have thought over Your goodness, God…

We have thought over Your goodness, God, in the midst of Your temple. As is Your name, God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness (Psalm 48:9 - 10).

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:4 - 6).

Thanks for joining me today for the new blog series, Everyday Christian Living. Last week, I asked you to consider a few questions.

• What does it mean to live every day wholeheartedly following Christ?

• What does everyday Christian living look like?

• Is it really possible to live every day in surrender to Jesus?

• How do I live each day for Christ when each day has obstacles and challenges?

• How can I live each day for Jesus in a world that has gone absolutely crazy?

In short, how can we live each day for Christ? How can we make each day count for Jesus? Today, let’s consider two words that will help us to understand everyday Christian living. 

Reflect

The first is the word “reflect.” To live every day for Christ, we begin each day by reflecting on the goodness of God, especially His goodness from the past. In Psalm 48:9 - 10, the Psalmist says, “We have thought over Your goodness, God, in the midst of Your temple. As is Your name, God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness.” Did you see that phrase, “We have thought over Your goodness”? Wow, what a phrase.

For a few minutes, think about yesterday and all that occurred in your day. Especially think about the ways God showed His goodness toward you. For example, think about the relationships in your life, your spouse, your friends, and those who encourage you. Those relationships are a reflection of the goodness of God. Think about your job, your work, your calling. These are a gift from God and another expression of His goodness. Think about the unique way God showed you His goodness just yesterday. God is a good God and His goodness comes our way every day. Our challenge is to begin each day reflecting on the goodness of God. Let me put it this way, when you begin each day reflecting on His goodness, you will begin to focus today on Him. And that is the beginning of everyday Christian living. The Psalmist wrote, “We have thought (reflected) over your goodness, God…” 

Here is a suggestion for you to consider. Tomorrow morning, before you get out of bed, take a minute or two and simply reflect on the goodness of God and how He revealed His goodness to you from the day before. Living every day for Christ begins with a clear reflection of His goodness. 

But that is not all. There is another word for us to consider.

Rejoice

We are told throughout the Scripture to “rejoice in the Lord.” In fact, that is the focus of Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Here is another way I can live every day for Jesus; I can rejoice and rejoice and rejoice. And there is something specific for us to see about rejoicing from Philippians 4. According to vs. 5, we are to rejoice for a specific reason, “the Lord is near.”

Let’s be honest, if you take a look around at our world today, it is easy to get discouraged. Crime is rampant, inflation is skyrocketing, wars are increasing, conflict is on the rise, and politics are getting more and more divided. The world is NOT getting better; but that certainly doesn’t mean we are defeated. The truth is we are told to rejoice and we are not given any conditions for rejoicing. In fact, we are instead told to rejoice because the Lord is near. 

Do you want to live every day for Christ? Do you want your life to count for Jesus? Begin with reflecting on His goodness but then remember to rejoice because He is returning. We could say it this way, look back on His goodness and look ahead for His coming. 

His coming could be today, tomorrow, or any day in the future. And in light of His nearness, we are to rejoice. That leads me to another suggestion for you to consider. 

Today’s Challenge

When you awake in the morning, before the day begins, not only do I encourage you to take a brief few minutes to reflect on His goodness, but I also encourage you to take a minute or two and rejoice in His coming. It may just be today and wouldn’t it be great to know that if Jesus returns today, He found us rejoicing and rejoicing and rejoicing!!!!

I am so grateful that you are joining me for this blog. My heart is greatly convicted because I want every day of my life to count for Jesus. I know you want the same. So let’s begin by reflecting and rejoicing. 

Next week, there are two more words I want to introduce to you that will help us with everyday Christian living. I look forward to sharing with you again next week.