Be Reasonable

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.  The :Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.” –Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV).

I could have chosen any number of words to comment on this encouraging teaching of Paul recorded in Philippians.  Often called the epistle of joy, or of exuberance, Philippians shows .  Paul using the Greek words for “joy” (“chara”) and “rejoice” (“agalliano”) more than a dozen times in the letter. 

Paul  admonished the Christians at Philippi not only to rejoice and have joy-filled hearts, but to be reasonable.  He seems to be calling them to draw a close connection between the saving work of Jesus Christ in bringing them into a right relationship with God, and the servant ministry of those who follow the Lord.   He teaches that it is reasonable to both live and die according to the pattern set for us by Jesus who suffered, died and rose from the grave and now is exalted at the right hand of God the Father.  Here in his plea for reasonable conduct:  Don’t worry but be thankful in every situation.  Accept the peace of God and allow him to “gird up” or make strong and immoveable your hearts and minds.

The true story is told of the Rev. Sidlow Baxter, a noted preacher of several years ago.  He told of being in Scotland in an evangelistic campaign and feeling extremely despondent and frustrated.  A feeling of foreboding was overpowering him.  He who was usually so enthusiastic and who had much zeal for the Lord’s work and especially for preaching the word was almost unable to function.  Night after night he went to bed weary and feeling like a failure.  Then one night it was as if an audible voice asked him:  “Sid, are you forgetting Philippians 4: 6 and 7?  You are forgetting to thank me, even for these frustrating and hollow times.  “Turn everything over to Me, Sid, and remember to thank me, even for these hard times,” the voice said to him.  The great preacher got out of bed, fell onto his knees and began thanking God for his frustrations and despondency.  It was as if the shackles were lifted from Sidlow Baxter.  He said of the experience:  “As I prayed with thanksgiving, the peace of God invaded my heart like a gentle zephyr.”  He had turned from near despair to reasonableness.  God was ready and willing to hear and answer Rev. Baxter.  But the preacher (as we must) first turned to God.  The turning was his ‘reasonable’ service.