Change Me, Not Others
ICS Daily Devotions

Philippians 4:4-7 (NKJV) Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

We would all like our problems or challenges to be resolved quickly. Therefore, we will naturally try to use our abilities to resolve them. Frequently, however, changes are beyond our abilities, especially when it comes to changes concerning other people because people are given the ability to decide for themselves. Therefore, while we can pray for them, we should not beat ourselves up over the choices made by others, and there is no point in being anxious over matters beyond our control.

‘God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference’ (Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr).

While we cannot change others or certain situations, we can make changes to ourselves in terms of our attitude, character, personality, and submission to the Lordship of Christ. It takes courage, and humility to make the necessary—and at times painful—changes. If we are easily upset or offended, perhaps we should learn to be more gracious, merciful, and forgiving. This way, we can grow to be more Christ-like. If we can be less critical of others, and don’t need to have the last say or constant affirmation from men, we will be happier, healthier, and stronger people. That’s how we can be known for our gentleness instead of aggressiveness, irrationality, and rudeness when stressed. The joy of the Lord and the constant ability to rejoice in all circumstances should be the trademark of every Christian.

We all need God’s grace in the areas where changes are beyond our control. When we go through a particularly challenging season of our lives God gives us “standing grace”, which is His supernatural ability for the various areas of our lives—our work, homemaking, children’s education, or spiritual life.

Through faith, we stand in grace, which gives us the ability to have faith, to know, to grow, to think, to give, to be, and to do all that God wants for us. God infuses His grace into our hearts and grants us strength to face our challenges.

There is always a choice in every situation. Even though our initial reaction to a bad experience and situation may be anger, frustration, and sadness, we can choose not to dwell on these emotions. The Apostle Paul asked us to rejoice in the Lord always, and again rejoice. Every challenge that we face in life is an opportunity for us to exercise our faith in God, and to see and experience His faithfulness.

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