Philippians 4:4-7 (NKJV) Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
We would all like our problems or challenges to be resolved quickly. Therefore, we will naturally try to use our abilities to resolve them. Frequently, however, changes are beyond our abilities, especially when it comes to changes concerning other people because people are given the ability to decide for themselves. Therefore, while we can pray for them, we should not beat ourselves up over the choices made by others, and there is no point in being anxious over matters beyond our control.
‘God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference’ (Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr).
While we cannot change others or certain situations, we can make changes to ourselves in terms of our attitude, character, personality, and submission to the Lordship of Christ. It takes courage, and humility to make the necessary—and at times painful—changes. If we are easily upset or offended, perhaps we should learn to be more gracious, merciful, and forgiving. This way, we can grow to be more Christ-like. If we can be less critical of others, and don’t need to have the last say or constant affirmation from men, we will be happier, healthier, and stronger people. That’s how we can be known for our gentleness instead of aggressiveness, irrationality, and rudeness when stressed. The joy of the Lord and the constant ability to rejoice in all circumstances should be the trademark of every Christian.
We all need God’s grace in the areas where changes are beyond our control. When we go through a particularly challenging season of our lives God gives us “standing grace”, which is His supernatural ability for the various areas of our lives—our work, homemaking, children’s education, or spiritual life.
Through faith, we stand in grace, which gives us the ability to have faith, to know, to grow, to think, to give, to be, and to do all that God wants for us. God infuses His grace into our hearts and grants us strength to face our challenges.
There is always a choice in every situation. Even though our initial reaction to a bad experience and situation may be anger, frustration, and sadness, we can choose not to dwell on these emotions. The Apostle Paul asked us to rejoice in the Lord always, and again rejoice. Every challenge that we face in life is an opportunity for us to exercise our faith in God, and to see and experience His faithfulness.
Sermon Series: Up! Cell Group Campaign (Part 2)
更新我，而非别人
腓立比书4:3-7 4 你们要靠主常常喜乐，我再说，你们要喜乐！ 5 当叫众人知道你们谦让的心。 主已经近了。 6 应当一无挂虑，只要凡事借着祷告、祈求和感谢，将你们所要的告诉神。 7 神所赐出人意外的平安，必在基督耶稣里保守你们的心怀意念。
我们都希望我们的问题或挑战能够迅速得到解决。因此，我们自然会尝试用自己的能力来解决它们。然而，改变往往超出了我们的能力范围，尤其是当涉及到他人的改变时，因为人们被赋予了自己作决定的能力。因此，虽然我们可以为他们祈祷，但我们不应该为别人的选择而自责，也不应该为我们无法控制的事情而焦虑。
“上帝啊！ 恳求你赐我恩典，欣然接受不能改变的事物； 鼓我义念，勇敢改变可以改变的事物； 并赠我慧剑，能分辨是该接受还是该改变。”（莱因霍尔德·尼布尔的宁静祷文）。
虽然我们无法改变他人或某些情况，但我们可以在态度、性格、个性和对基督主权的顺服方面改变自己。改变需要勇气和谦逊，甚至有时会痛苦。如果我们总是对别人感到不满，或者觉得别人总是冒犯我们，那么我们应该学会更加仁慈、怜悯和宽容。这样，我们就会变得更像基督，少批评别人，不需要有最后的发言权，不需要出风头，不再不断地需要人的肯定。 这样，我们就会成为更快乐、更健康、更坚强的人。 这就是为什么当我们面临压力时，我们不再咄咄逼人、不再无理取闹，而是以谦和为人所知。 主的喜乐，以及在任何情况下常常喜乐的能力，应该成为每个基督徒的标志。
在我们无法改变的地方，我们需要靠神的恩典而活。当我们经历生命中特别具有挑战性的季节时，上帝会赐给我们“常备的恩典”，这是祂在我们生活的各个领域——我们的工作、家务、孩子的教育或属灵生命——的超自然能力。
通过信心，我们站立在恩典中，这使我们能够有信心、去认识、去成长、去思考、去奉献、去成为、去做上帝希望我们做的一切。上帝将祂的恩典注入我们的心中，并赐予我们力量来面对挑战。
任何情况下都有选择。尽管我们对糟糕的经历和情况的最初反应可能是愤怒、沮丧和悲伤，但我们可以选择不纠缠于这些情绪。使徒保罗要我们靠主常常喜乐，并且要再喜乐。我们可以把生活中遇到的每一个挑战都看作是我们操练对神的信心的机会。 这是我们看到并经历神的信实的机会。
讲章系列：天天向上! 细胞小组运动（第二部分）
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