Roadblocks, Speedbumps, and Potholes – August 21, 2022

Scripture:   Philippians 4:4-9  “Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”  (The Message)

Every journey has its setbacks and disappointments.  The Apostle Paul certainly had his share of them.  A man on a quest for God’s will, Paul is the consummate example of someone who saw in new ways, ate with strangers, included the outsiders, and knew the blessings of God’s light in the world.  But he ultimately landed in jail because of his willingness to follow the quest.  What does Paul teach us about how to respond when in the course of our journey, things don’t go as expected?