Good morning! I remember as a teenager I would use the word whatever to respond to things I didn’t understand or choose not to take my time to address. I would basically use the word to dismiss or invalidate what was being said. Thank God for growth and maturity, because I would have missed out on relationships and understanding if I had not matured in my responses to others. Join me today as we begin our reading in Philippians chapter three (3).

Bible verse: Philippians 3:1NLT

“Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters,^[a] rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.”

Key Words

• Whatever
  • While the urban dictionary has different definitions for the word whatever, today I will use the Merriam-Webster definition which is:
    • anything or everything that
    • no matter what
• Rejoice
  • The word rejoice is often used and in the book of Philippians it is used approximately eight times by Apostle Paul to teach, encourage, and safeguard the faith of the Philippian believers.
  • The Merriam-Webster definition of rejoice is:
    • to give joy to
    • to feel joy or have great delight

Reflection

Now let’s refresh our memory, Apostle Paul was in prison for preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. He was grateful for the care he received from the church at Philippi and the Philippian believers. So far in his letter to the church he encouraged them to live for Christ and be examples of Christ in the world.

He continues to encourage them, stating ‘whatever happens’ which could mean whether he remains in prison or is able to visit with him or if he dies or if anything else happens that has not been considered – to rejoice in the Lord.

Sisters and brothers, we have a lot of “whatever happens” in our lives. Each day brings its own set of challenges as we are reminded in Matthew 6:34 (“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”). However, it is how we choose to respond to those challenges that has the potential to mature us in faith and in our responses.

Unfortunately, we can’t dismiss our “whatevers” but we serve a mighty God who is with us no matter what we encounter, need to address, or walk through. He is never absent or delayed, He is always on time to fulfill His plan and His purpose. He hears us when we call. He is our redeemer, the One who rescues, and our refuge.

Therefore sister and brothers, let us continue to rejoice in the One who is with us whenever and whatever happens because we know He is a faithful Father who never fails to care for us – His children whom He loves unconditionally.

• Will you give your “whatever” to the Lord today?
• Will you spend some time simply rejoicing in who He is and what He has already done?

Prayer

Father God we thank you for taking care of our whatevers. We thank you and rejoice because you have already won the battle and you have the victory. Lord, thank you for loving us and for your care toward us. Thank you for always moving us from infancy to maturity in our faith. Lord, thank you for always seeing the best in us and for bringing it out in us. Help us to continue to pursue a life that brings you glory. Transform our minds, our responses and our reactions to things as we draw nearer to you. Lord, we pray for believers and non-believers in Texas and other states who are without water, power, etc., Lord move quickly to put all the right people in the right places to resolve the issues. In the meantime Lord, provide the heat, water, and power resources that are needed to families and the homeless in those communities. In Jesus name, amen.

Events

VIRTUAL BIBLE STUDY 

THIS BIBLE STUDY SESSION WILL EXPLORE THE LIFE ELIJAH.

• Location: Via Zoom (RSVP: contactus@maryewhiteministries.com for the Zoom link)
• Begins: Wednesday, March 3, 2021
• Time: 6:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M.
• We purchased the Elijah Video Bundle for Group Use. You will need to purchase your personal Bible study book.
• Bible Study Book:  Elijah – Faith and Fire. The author of the book is Priscilla Shirer.

Note: If you purchase your book online through LifeWay, you can subscribe to their website and get a 20% discount on your purchase. Here’s the link to the Bible study book via LifeWay:  https://www.lifeway.com/en/product-family/elijah-bible-study

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS VIRTUAL BIBLE STUDY SESSION, EMAIL: CONTACTUS@MARYEWHITEMINISTRIES.COM

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Bible Reference: http://biblegateway.com

Merriam-Webster Dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whatever

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