The Reality of Our Relationship

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” (Philippians 4:4–5, KJV)

It was when I lived in the suburbs of Chicago, that the Lord saved me while reading a Gideon Bible in a Minneapolis hotel room while on a business trip. This changed everything in my life, and our neighbors took notice.

Sometime after my salvation, I decided to repaint our front door. For whatever reason, I decided to paint the six panels tan and the door brown. One day a woman who lived across the street came over and stated, “I knew you became religious, but I didn’t think you would paint a cross on your door.” I did not know what she was talking about until I went out and looked back at the front door. You see, the storm-door framed the upper four tan panels in such a way as to make the brown painted parts to look like a cross.

The point of all this is to say that people observe us. The woman across the street identified the changes in our lifestyle and linked the painting on the door to our home as a sign of what the Lord had done in our lives. People notice.

In these two verses Paul indicated that we should demonstrate the reality of our relationship with Jesus. First Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Twice we see the present tense command to “rejoice.” He wrote that we should rejoice without ceasing. Joy is that great expression of faith that is seen by everyone. It is not just happiness based on circumstances. Rather it is that fruit of the Spirit that flows out from one walking by the Spirit regardless of one’s circumstances. This joy is not natural, but supernatural. It is not based upon circumstances, but in everything that flows from a close relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Second, Paul wrote, “Let your moderation be known unto all men.” What does this mean? The word translated as “moderation” is epieikes. It refers to a disposition of being suitable, equitable, fair, mild, gentle (Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon G1933). It is a disposition that represents the virtues of godliness. It is seen in one’s calm, gentle, and confident demeaner. This person is not one to seek a quarrel, or who is contentious.

The Lord desires that the reality of our relationship with Him to be evident to those both inside and outside the body of faith. It is seen as one lives by the Spirit and displays the fruit thereof.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22–23, KJV)