Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!  (5) Let your gentleness be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand.  (6) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, (7) and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

The letter to the Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul.  Paul is writing the Christian community in Philippi and he uses his circumstances as the model to implore them to stand fast in the Lord – he has been scourged, stoned, imprisoned, jeered, and shipwrecked and now is in chains in Rome for his faith in Christ Jesus, but he writes  of joy.

Our verses today begin with the twice repeated command to rejoice – rejoice always.  Paul is not addressing the temperament of his readers – nor is he asking them to deny their feelings. But he is asking them to look for joy in the Lord, just as he does.  Paul is not looking for superficial happiness but for steady contentment and joy in our relationship with God. Paul is telling us that we are not looking for joy in this world but instructing us to get our focus off ourselves and to focus our minds daily on the lord and what we are promised in Christ. We are to live by mindful faith, and not by our feelings – to be happy in Christ and unhappy without Him.

We need a right relationship with God – we need to choose to trust in God  as sovereign.   We are accountable to God first, not to others – others do not define us. The Lord is near – He is our refuge and our strength.  Trust in the Lord, He keeps His promises and rejoice in this. Remember Bob, the wonder dog who was not distracted but always kept his eyes on the ball. And Bob was always filled with joy.