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.
I have always found this sentence to be something of a disconnect. Why does Paul throw this statement in between an instruction to let my joy show and an assurance the Lord is nearby? The definition of reasonableness helps: the state of having good sense and sound judgment. He is advising me to be known as a man who is consistently confident, demonstrating sound judgment in all aspects of my life and showing a mature reliance on the validity of my faith. That's a goal that I am still striving for.
Today's readings in the Psalms:
Morning: Psalm 56
Mid-day: 119:161-168
Evening: Psalm 132
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Voices Together is available as an annual daily devotional and can be purchased at theFellowship Of Ailbe bookstore. A weekly edition, formatted as a bi-fold insert and suitable for distribution can be downloaded at https://www.ailbe.org/resources/item/5828-2015-voices-together-weekly-devotionals. The next edition is available by Thursday of the prior week.
