Life Center Worship has released their newest Christmas single "Rejoice." This holiday song holds worshipful lyrics that sing out, "On this holy night I’ll rejoice and give all glory and honor to Him who will reign forevermore." Alongside the release of "Rejoice," Life Center Worship has also written a devotional about the message of the song: rejoicing in Jesus and remaining thankful for all He's done. Read the full devotional below!
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 NIV
All through the scriptures there are passages just like this that encourage and exhort us to: rejoice, be joyful, sing praise, give thanks, or do not fear. When we look at our current daily lives, we are plagued with reasons to be fearful, heavy hearted or just stressed out. All of this flooding our minds on a continual basis leads to being anxious and depressed or stuck in a cycle of complaining and things just getting worse. But there is hope and it begins with changing our focus. When we continually think negative thoughts we are positioning ourselves to only see the negative. If we change our focus to one of thanksgiving and joy we will begin to see the good, even in situations that are difficult. It’s kind of like when you get a new car and all of the sudden, you see that car everywhere. Why didn’t we notice before? It wasn’t our focus.
We’ve all heard the saying, “You are what you eat,” in regards to food and nutrition. In the same way we could say, “You become what you think.” Our thoughts are more powerful than we realize and they frame our future. When we get stuck in negativity or fear because of a past experience we’re putting our hope or our energy in creating a future or an outcome that is less than what God wants for us. Our vision gets clouded and we sometimes can’t see things working out for our good. We lose hope. But there is a remedy.
Paul continues in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.” These thoughts are the fuel that help us to reach our goals and get out of the rut of the mundane, same old syndrome. When we repent, or change our thinking, we come into alignment with the life that God planned for us, the John 10:10 “overflowing, abundant life,” and we can experience His peace. The peace that surpasses all our understanding. Dreams come alive in an environment of peace. And hope, the joyful expectation for good, becomes our new normal. I heard it said once that you can’t be thankful and worried at the same time. When we focus our hearts on thanksgiving our worries disappear and we begin to see things differently. I love that on our calendar Thanksgiving precedes Christmas. It’s that gentle reminder to give thanks even before you see the promise fulfilled.
As we approach the busiest, possibly most stressful time of the year for some, we encourage you to take a moment each day to rejoice and be thankful for the gift of Jesus who is the reason for all our celebrating. Jesus, the one who came to overcome and to reveal to us the unconditional love of the Father. The one who heals the sick and raises the dead. The one who knew no sin but became sin that all would be freed from its curse.
We pray that this hope would begin to awaken your heart and a joyful anticipation of God’s goodness and the miraculous would flood your mind. That your eyes would be open to all God is doing in and through you, and His overwhelming peace would fill your heart and home. Colossians 3:15-16 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
In everything “Rejoice!”
|