Be glad with me!

This will allow me to say on the day of Christ that I haven’t run for nothing or worked for nothing. But even if I am poured out like a drink offering upon the altar of service for your faith, I am glad. I’m glad with all of you. You should be glad about this in the same way. Be glad with me!  Philippians 2:16b-18

Here Paul is saying that even if he were used up for the benefit of someone else's faith, then it is not for nothing. The sacrifices we make for the good of Christ and God's kingdom mean so much more than anything we can work for on earth.

He tells them to be glad! Be glad with me! As we ended last week with a prayer for a new heart, so we end this week looking at our hearts. That's where it all starts. We must agree willingly to surrender to God; anything else is false. We must be glad in our faith. This is not happy, happy, joy, joy, all the time, but a deep-found contentment with your relationship with God and with your life.

It all starts with your heart. Are you harboring resentment of others because of wrongs, real and perceived, that you hang on to for fear of letting go? If so, this harbored resentment or unrest will interfere with your ability to be glad in God. Are you freeing your heart to live gladly in the joy of the Lord? That takes daily intentionality and continually reaffirming that choice. Let us reaffirm our choice to turn our hearts to God today.