The Lord is Near

This word “rejoice” means “to delight in God’s grace,” according to Bible Hub’s interlinear. And God’s grace is what sent Jesus to the cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will die with Christ to sin and now walk in obedience to his commands in holy living. And God’s grace is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. And to rejoice also means to celebrate, to take joy in, to delight in and to take pleasure in the Lord, and in all of who he is, and in all that he has done for us, the people of this world.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

And if we are rejoicing in the Lord, in who he is, then we need to know that he is both a God of grace and a God of justice. He will let some people into heaven, while he will cast others into hell. He is a God of mercy, and yet he will punish those who refuse him, and who will not bow to him as Lord. He will keep all his promises, but all God’s promises have conditions. So, he will also keep true to his warnings and to their conditions. And he said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God the Father in heaven.

And this word “gentle” is not wishy-washy. It does not mean spiritual weakness and backing down from the truth in order to not offend others. It never means to compromise truth and righteousness to spare people’s feelings. It is not lacking in strength or character or boldness to speak the truth that people need to hear. And it never resorts to telling people lies to make them feel better. It is about being fair and just and not overly harsh (unnecessarily). And another word for this is meek. And Jesus was meek, but he was never weak when it came to speaking the truth, in love.

Be anxious for nothing. What kinds of things today might make us anxious? Loss of job and income and not knowing where our next meal is coming from. World leaders who are not trustworthy and who do not keep to their word and who speak lies to the people, and the people not knowing what kinds of tricks they are going to pull on the people of this world. And.. an unfaithful spouse. Car troubles. Health issues. Changes in technology. Rumors of wars. People betraying one another. Not being able to trust other humans to keep to their word. Not knowing what the future holds, etc.

We who put our trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord of our lives must recognize that God is absolutely sovereign over our lives, and his will is being accomplished, and he will take care of us, and he is watching over us who are his, by genuine repentant faith in him. And rather than becoming anxious when life, to a certain degree, appears to be out of our control, we are to pray, and to bring our requests before the Lord, and trust in his grace, and trust that he has all things under his control. And we must let the peace of God fill our minds and hearts and emotions, giving it all over to God.

Your Servant Witness

An Original Work / March 13, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Humbly I bow, Lord, before You,
Bringing my requests to You.
May I listen; hear You speaking.
May I follow You in truth.
Gently lead me in Your service.
Guide my steps and strengthen me.
Fill me with Your love and mercy.
May I live for Thee!

Let me be Your servant witness,
Telling others of Your grace.
May I always share the gospel
With those I meet face to face.
May I show the love of Jesus,
Caring for the needs of men;
Be Your servant witness always
For my Lord, Amen!

My desire to be like Jesus,
Living for Him ev’ry day.
May I obey all His teachings
Given me, so I’ll not stray.
Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master.
You are the King of my heart;
Follow You where’er You lead me;
Not from You depart!


The Lord is Near
An Original Work / July 29, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love