Maria Ingrid Unabia Lim Friday | November 3, 2023

How to Study the Bible (Sir Edgar Sibonga)

CHARACTER QUALITY STUDY FORM

Philippians 4:4–9
1– Character Quality
REJOICE
verb: to give joy, to feel joy or great delight
2– Opposite Quality
Lament
Grieve
Weep
3– Simple Word Study
Greek: chairo.
"to rejoice,". Examples are occasions for "rejoicing," on the part of believers: in the Lord, Phil.
3:1; Phil. 4:4; His presence with them, John 16:22; John 20:20; suffering with Christ, Act 5:41; 1 Pet.
4:13.

Greek: sunchairo.
"to rejoice with". Examples are, in suffering in the cause of the gospel, Phil. 2:17 (2nd part), 18.

Greek: agalliao.
"to rejoice greatly, to exult". Examples are, "rejoicing" in God, Luke 1:47; in faith in Christ, 1
Peter 1:8.

Greek: euphraino.
"to cheer, gladden", signifies in the "to rejoice, make merry".

Greek: kauchaomai.
"to boast, to glory," is rendered "to rejoice". Examples are, Romans 5:2, in hope of the glory of
God; Romans 5:3, in tribulation; Romans 5:11, in God; Phil. 3:3, in Christ Jesus.

4– Cross-Reference Insights
Philippians 3:1 “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me
indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.”
> To rejoice in the Lord is making a choice to embrace the reality that God’s ways are higher than our
ways, and that He knows what is best for us. God always desires the best for us, regardless of our
circumstances. Knowing this truth allows us to rejoice in the Lord even if we don’t understand how
our circumstances would turn out.

Romans 12:12 “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;”

> It shows us how we should respond in any in different situations we face in life. Our hearts should
still be joyful and continue to trust God in all situations we face in life because our hope is in Him. We
can rejoice in the Lord, in spite of persecution, in spite of hardship, in spite of difficulty knowing that
we have the victory in God.
5– Simple Biographical Study
1- King David was known as a man after God’s own heart, which was obvious in his poetry. He
constantly writes about how much he loved the Lord, despite the hardships he went through.
Many of his Psalms ask the Lord for help as much as they praise.

Psalms 5:1-2, “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of
my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.”
> David asks the Lord to listen to his cries for help and then praises the Lord later in the passage.
Often, David shows us that joy and grief tend to go hand in hand.

2- Paul was constantly telling his churches to be joyful.

Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

> In Philippians, Paul tells the church of Philippi that to him, to live is Christ, and to die is gain and if
they wanted to make his joy complete they would be of the same mind and be united under their
same purpose as Christians.

3- Joseph was joyful despite being put through several trials throughout his life. From being sold
into slavery by his brothers to being thrown in jail for something he didn’t do, Joseph did not lose his
faith in the Lord and took joy in the blessings He bestowed upon him.

Genesis 45:4-8, “And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came
near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved,
nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For
these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there
shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the
earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but
God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all
the land of Egypt.”
> When Joseph was reunited with his brothers once again, they asked him for forgiveness. He did
forgive them, and he told them that what they had intended for harm, the Lord had turned to good.
He decided to look for joy in his situation, and it benefitted him.

4- Ruth, even in the most despairing circumstances, found joy when she decided to leave her old
people and stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi, even though her husband had died.

Ruth 1:16, “And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee:
for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people,
and thy God my God:”
> She displayed loyalty, kindness, and joy in the midst of a terrible situation.

6– Memory Verse
“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4
 7– A Situation or Relationship (Where God wants to work on this quality in my life)
Every time the due dates for our monthly payables are approaching, I get bothered since
magdungan cla ug abot and wala mi kabalo where to get the money to pay them because we haven’t
bounced back with our finances since the pandemic. I get bothered asa mi mag kuha for groceries, bill
payments, school tuitions, and other daily needs. I get restless and wondered what happened to us; I
ask myself what we did wrong, and muaabot sa ako ang mag ask basi kulang pa ang amo/akong pag-
alagad kay God. I After which, I become moody, easily get angry, emotional almost all the time, mag
mug-ot pa ako face, even my mind is always flying somewhere.
8– My Project
A few days before the due dates sa mga bayronon, I will stop before I get very anxious about it
and take a few minutes to pray inside our room. I will strum my ukelele and sing praises to God. And
then I will ask Him to calm me down, I will keep asking Him for sustaining grace, and I will present to
Him our payables and ask Him to provide for them.
9– Personal Illustration
It’s that time of the month that need napud mag bayad sa mga bayronon. I remembered, I went
and sat down and talked to God to help me control my anxiousness kay wala pa jud mi ipang bayad. I
took my ukelele and strummed a couple of songs. I offered our mga bayronon sa Iya and asked him to
help us pay for it. I surrendered my emotions to Him at that moment claimed na amo ra jud mabayran
in time and reminded myself na even galisod jud mi financially now, wala man sad mi gipasagdan ni
God sa amo basic needs. I was able to stay calm at that time and surprisingly peaceful ako mind. Even
if mostly, we were not able to pay on time, we were still able to pay for them. We rejoice that God
continues to provide for our needs.

References used:
Merriam Webster online dictionary and thesaurus (www.merriam-webster.com)
Bible Study Tools (www.biblestudytools.com)
Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
Blue Letter Bible