<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Philippians 3;1<div><br></div><div><b>1. &nbsp;Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. &nbsp;To write the same things to you is not irksome to me, and it is safe for you.</b></div><div><br></div><div>Gratitude and thankfulness in&nbsp;all circumstances, is counter-intuitive to our sinful flesh. &nbsp;Our old nature is&nbsp;only thankful for what pleasures it physically. &nbsp;We naturally reject all that is not comfortable or pleasant to the flesh as being, ‘bad’, certainly not to be thankful for. &nbsp;But, <i>“We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.” &nbsp;</i></div><div>(Romans 8;28)</div><div><br></div><div>Even our sufferings are able to be used by God to refine us. &nbsp;Enduring them with faith and patience is a ‘spiritual insurance policy’. &nbsp;It prevents us from becoming angry at God or doubt his goodness. &nbsp;Fear and sadness&nbsp;replaces faith, and with them&nbsp;resentment against the very life God is giving us. &nbsp;To fail to rejoice in the Lord is to become his enemy.</div><div>This is the danger Paul has in mind when he says, <i>“rejoice <u>in the Lord.</u>…is safe for you.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</i>If we fail to rejoice, we are not walking by the Spirit, <i>“in the Lord”. &nbsp;</i>Instead, we automatically revert to our selfish sinful nature. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Operating out of our natural&nbsp;feelings, exposes us to being deceived, and temps us to other great shame and vice.</div><div><br></div><div>This lesson must continually be repeated to Believers<span>&nbsp;because we never lose our old sin-nature.</span></div><div><span>Consistently responding with thanksgiving and joy in the Lord is a matter of faith and obedience, not of emotions or feelings. &nbsp;It is the new-man asserting his dominion over the old-man.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>The mature in the faith have by experience seen how what was first thought to be only bad, turns out to be for our good. &nbsp;Joseph enslaved and imprisoned&nbsp;in Egypt is a perfect example. &nbsp;Even the plans and purposes of our enemies turn to our benefit eventually.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>To <i>“rejoice in the Lord” </i>is divine. &nbsp;It means we have by the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body.</span></div><div><span>We&nbsp;see with the eyes of faith, that which is not apparent to the flesh.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>God cares for every small moment and tiny event in our lives. &nbsp;He is using everything to our good as we remain repentant. &nbsp;Even our past terrible failures become cause for thanksgiving when we realize that the power of Jesus’ blood covers over them,&nbsp;and forever removes them from our sight, and from the Father’s. &nbsp;<i>“Their sins I will remember no more.” &nbsp;</i>(Jeremiah 31;34b)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Most merciful Father, grant that we obey your imperatives, and be safe. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Philippians 3;1
1.  Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.  To write the same things to you is not irksome to me, and it is safe for you.
Gratitude and thankfulness in all circumstances, is counter-intuitive to our sinful flesh.  Our old nature is only thankful for what pleasures it physically.  We naturally reject all that is not comfortable or pleasant to the flesh as being, ‘bad’, certainly not to be thankful for.  But, “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.”  (Romans 8;28)
Even our sufferings are able to be used by God to refine us.  Enduring them with faith and patience is a ‘spiritual insurance policy’.  It prevents us from becoming angry at God or doubt his goodness.  Fear and sadness replaces faith, and with them resentment against the very life God is giving us.  To fail to rejoice in the Lord is to become his enemy.This is the danger Paul has in mind when he says, “rejoice in the Lord.…is safe for you.”  If we fail to rejoice, we are not walking by the Spirit, “in the Lord”.  Instead, we automatically revert to our selfish sinful nature.  
Operating out of our natural feelings, exposes us to being deceived, and temps us to other great shame and vice.
This lesson must continually be repeated to Believers because we never lose our old sin-nature.Consistently responding with thanksgiving and joy in the Lord is a matter of faith and obedience, not of emotions or feelings.  It is the new-man asserting his dominion over the old-man. 
The mature in the faith have by experience seen how what was first thought to be only bad, turns out to be for our good.  Joseph enslaved and imprisoned in Egypt is a perfect example.  Even the plans and purposes of our enemies turn to our benefit eventually.
To “rejoice in the Lord” is divine.  It means we have by the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body.We see with the eyes of faith, that which is not apparent to the flesh.
God cares for every small moment and tiny event in our lives.  He is using everything to our good as we remain repentant.  Even our past terrible failures become cause for thanksgiving when we realize that the power of Jesus’ blood covers over them, and forever removes them from our sight, and from the Father’s.  “Their sins I will remember no more.”  (Jeremiah 31;34b)
Prayer:  Most merciful Father, grant that we obey your imperatives, and be safe.  In Jesus we pray, Amen
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”


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