Philippians 4:4
At Christmas time each year, the thoughts of many turn to Christ and his birth. We sing many Christmas carols and give thanks that God in His infinite patience, mercy and grace saw fit to send His only son to be a sacrifice for us. And indeed it is our greatest joy that Christ did come. Without him, we would still be lost in our trust in this world and there would be no light to lead us into an eternal peace with our Father. But with Him, we have everything we could ever need. How great is our God!
When Paul wrote the verse above in his letter to the Philippians, history tells us he was in a jail cell because of his faith. And yet, his heart was so full of love for the Lord that he wrote to rejoice always. Even in the darkest of times, we can always count on the fact that God is there with us and that His love will carry us through. James even encourages us to count it as joy when we are in dark situations and faced with many troubles as it can only serve to strengthen our reliance upon God (James 1). This is so different from what we learn from those around us, that we should do everything and anything we can to avoid difficulties. But these things will happen. It is only our joy in the knowledge that no matter what, the Lord that will not give us something we can’t handle and will always carry us through that allows to be at peace even so (1 Corinthians 10:13).
I am joyful that God has seen fit to place me here in Manchester with this group of His children. Coming here has been a blessing in so many ways and I have had the great privilege of meeting so many people whose love for the Lord and joy at being in His kingdom fills me with hope that this is a glimpse of what heaven will be like. I hope that we can continue to let the joy of being His fill our hearts all year round so that together we might help others know the grace and love of our wonderful Father.
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