Title
All We Need 我们所需要的一切
Date
04/19/2026
Description
Psalm 73:26: My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
诗篇 73:26：我的肉体和我的心肠衰残；但神是我心里的力量，又是我的福分，直到永远。
Philippians 4:6–8: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
腓立比书 4:6–8： 应当一无挂虑，只要凡事借着祷告、祈求和感谢，将你们所要的告诉神
Ecclesiastes 3:1,4: There is a time for everything… a time to weep and a time to laugh…
传道书 3:1,4：凡事都有定期…有时哭，有时笑…
2 Samuel 12:20: Then David got up… washed… and worshiped the Lord.
撒母耳记下 12:20： 大卫就从地上起来，沐浴，抹膏…进耶和华的殿敬拜。
Matthew 11:28: Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
马太福音 11:28： 凡劳苦担重担的人，可以到我这里来，我就使你们得安息。
Luke 10:20: Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
路加福音 10:20：要因你们的名记录在天上欢喜。
1 Timothy 6:6: Godliness with contentment is great gain.
提摩太前书 6:6： 敬虔加上知足的心便是大利了。
John 6:47–48: Whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.
约翰福音 6:47–48：信的人有永生。我就是生命的粮。
Psalm 107:9: He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
诗篇 107:9： 他使心里渴慕的人得以知足，使心里饥饿的人得饱美物。
Psalm 31:19: How abundant are the good things You have stored up…
诗篇 31:19： 你为敬畏你的人所积存的恩惠是何等大呢！
Romans 12:12: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
罗马书 12:12：在指望中要喜乐，在患难中要忍耐，祷告要恒切。
诗篇 73:26：我的肉体和我的心肠衰残；但神是我心里的力量，又是我的福分，直到永远。
Philippians 4:6–8: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
腓立比书 4:6–8： 应当一无挂虑，只要凡事借着祷告、祈求和感谢，将你们所要的告诉神
Ecclesiastes 3:1,4: There is a time for everything… a time to weep and a time to laugh…
传道书 3:1,4：凡事都有定期…有时哭，有时笑…
2 Samuel 12:20: Then David got up… washed… and worshiped the Lord.
撒母耳记下 12:20： 大卫就从地上起来，沐浴，抹膏…进耶和华的殿敬拜。
Matthew 11:28: Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
马太福音 11:28： 凡劳苦担重担的人，可以到我这里来，我就使你们得安息。
Luke 10:20: Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
路加福音 10:20：要因你们的名记录在天上欢喜。
1 Timothy 6:6: Godliness with contentment is great gain.
提摩太前书 6:6： 敬虔加上知足的心便是大利了。
John 6:47–48: Whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.
约翰福音 6:47–48：信的人有永生。我就是生命的粮。
Psalm 107:9: He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
诗篇 107:9： 他使心里渴慕的人得以知足，使心里饥饿的人得饱美物。
Psalm 31:19: How abundant are the good things You have stored up…
诗篇 31:19： 你为敬畏你的人所积存的恩惠是何等大呢！
Romans 12:12: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
罗马书 12:12：在指望中要喜乐，在患难中要忍耐，祷告要恒切。
Creator
Pastor: Mike Koger
Contributor
Hillside United Methodist Church
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
Transcription
All We Need
Psalm 73:26
When was the last time you gave yourself permission to be joyful—right now, today, exactly as things are?
Not when the diagnosis improves. Not when the bills are paid.
Not when everything settles down. Right now.
Most of us are living in the “if” and the “when.”
“I’ll be happy if…” “I’ll rejoice when…”
But joy was never meant to be a destination.
Joy is a decision we make in the middle of the journey.
Solomon said that “as a man thinks, so is he.”
We think many thoughts—but not all define us.
It is our dominant thoughts that shape our lives.
How we interpret what we are going through.
What we choose to focus on. …and what we focus on expands.
If we focus on what’s missing, joy will always feel out of reach.
If we focus on what God is doing—even in small ways—something begins to shift inside of us.
I’ll be honest with you…
Lately, I’ve been focused on my health challenges.
And while it’s good to be aware, there comes a point where awareness becomes obsession.
And when that happens, we begin to miss the simple joy of being alive.
There comes a moment where we must choose:
Will I live by how I feel? Or will I walk by faith?
So here it is: It is time to stop postponing joy.
Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not when everything changes. Right now.
Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
God is enough—right now.
Philippians 4:6-8 Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ. Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind.
And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.
(Don’t rush these next quiet lines: Those are the moments where the room will lean in.)
Philippians 4 gives us a pathway:
Release anxiety.
Refocus your thoughts.
Receive peace.
“Do not be anxious about anything…”
“Present your requests to God…”
“And the peace of God will guard your heart and mind…”
Peace does not come from control. Peace comes from surrender.
King David understood this.
After one of the most painful seasons of his life, Scripture says:
He arose.
He washed.
He anointed himself.
And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped.
He did not wait to feel better. He chose to move forward.
That is what it means to stop postponing joy.
[Control vs Trust]
So many of us are trying to fix what we cannot fix.
Trying to control what we cannot control.
And it is exhausting.
Peace begins where control ends.
In Mark 6 we read: There was such a swirl of activity around Jesus, with so many people coming and going, that they were unable to even eat a meal. So Jesus said to his disciples, “Come, let’s take a break and find a secluded place where you can rest a while.” They slipped away and left by sailboat for a deserted spot. But many of the people saw them leaving and realized where they were headed, so they took off running along the shore.
When Jesus looked at the crowds, He saw people who were tired, overwhelmed, and burdened.
Scripture says: He was moved with compassion.
Jesus said: “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
What is important to understand is the way Jesus says this.
He does not say it like a boss giving orders.
He doesn’t say it like someone who is tired of listening to people's problems.
He says it as someone who is gentle, someone who understands, someone who is not annoyed by our weakness and not surprised by our struggles.
You are not coming to a God who is tired of you.
You are coming to a God who understands you.
Come.
Rest. Stop striving. Stop postponing.
It’s time to Rejoice — not someday — but now.
Our strength comes from remaining (abiding) in the Vine
As Jesus said in John 15:7, ”If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
"The Christian life is not a testing ground to see how much you can handle.
It is a living connection to the One who handles everything."
It is time — right now — to stop postponing our joy.
As we prepare our hearts to come the Table of the Lord today for Holy Communion, we do not come with conditions.
Not: “God, I will trust You when…”
But: “God, I trust You now.”
Peace does not come from control. Peace comes from surrender.
Jesus said: “I Am the bread of life.”
He is our source.
He is all we need.
Prayer
Lord, we come before You right now—not when life changes, but just as we are.
We confess that we have postponed our joy.
Today, we choose to trust You.
Be our strength when we are weak.
Be our peace in the middle of uncertainty.
Fill us with a joy that the world cannot give and cannot take away.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Psalm 73:26
When was the last time you gave yourself permission to be joyful—right now, today, exactly as things are?
Not when the diagnosis improves. Not when the bills are paid.
Not when everything settles down. Right now.
Most of us are living in the “if” and the “when.”
“I’ll be happy if…” “I’ll rejoice when…”
But joy was never meant to be a destination.
Joy is a decision we make in the middle of the journey.
Solomon said that “as a man thinks, so is he.”
We think many thoughts—but not all define us.
It is our dominant thoughts that shape our lives.
How we interpret what we are going through.
What we choose to focus on. …and what we focus on expands.
If we focus on what’s missing, joy will always feel out of reach.
If we focus on what God is doing—even in small ways—something begins to shift inside of us.
I’ll be honest with you…
Lately, I’ve been focused on my health challenges.
And while it’s good to be aware, there comes a point where awareness becomes obsession.
And when that happens, we begin to miss the simple joy of being alive.
There comes a moment where we must choose:
Will I live by how I feel? Or will I walk by faith?
So here it is: It is time to stop postponing joy.
Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not when everything changes. Right now.
Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
God is enough—right now.
Philippians 4:6-8 Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ. Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind.
And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.
(Don’t rush these next quiet lines: Those are the moments where the room will lean in.)
Philippians 4 gives us a pathway:
Release anxiety.
Refocus your thoughts.
Receive peace.
“Do not be anxious about anything…”
“Present your requests to God…”
“And the peace of God will guard your heart and mind…”
Peace does not come from control. Peace comes from surrender.
King David understood this.
After one of the most painful seasons of his life, Scripture says:
He arose.
He washed.
He anointed himself.
And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped.
He did not wait to feel better. He chose to move forward.
That is what it means to stop postponing joy.
[Control vs Trust]
So many of us are trying to fix what we cannot fix.
Trying to control what we cannot control.
And it is exhausting.
Peace begins where control ends.
In Mark 6 we read: There was such a swirl of activity around Jesus, with so many people coming and going, that they were unable to even eat a meal. So Jesus said to his disciples, “Come, let’s take a break and find a secluded place where you can rest a while.” They slipped away and left by sailboat for a deserted spot. But many of the people saw them leaving and realized where they were headed, so they took off running along the shore.
When Jesus looked at the crowds, He saw people who were tired, overwhelmed, and burdened.
Scripture says: He was moved with compassion.
Jesus said: “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
What is important to understand is the way Jesus says this.
He does not say it like a boss giving orders.
He doesn’t say it like someone who is tired of listening to people's problems.
He says it as someone who is gentle, someone who understands, someone who is not annoyed by our weakness and not surprised by our struggles.
You are not coming to a God who is tired of you.
You are coming to a God who understands you.
Come.
Rest. Stop striving. Stop postponing.
It’s time to Rejoice — not someday — but now.
Our strength comes from remaining (abiding) in the Vine
As Jesus said in John 15:7, ”If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
"The Christian life is not a testing ground to see how much you can handle.
It is a living connection to the One who handles everything."
It is time — right now — to stop postponing our joy.
As we prepare our hearts to come the Table of the Lord today for Holy Communion, we do not come with conditions.
Not: “God, I will trust You when…”
But: “God, I trust You now.”
Peace does not come from control. Peace comes from surrender.
Jesus said: “I Am the bread of life.”
He is our source.
He is all we need.
Prayer
Lord, we come before You right now—not when life changes, but just as we are.
We confess that we have postponed our joy.
Today, we choose to trust You.
Be our strength when we are weak.
Be our peace in the middle of uncertainty.
Fill us with a joy that the world cannot give and cannot take away.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.