Rejoice In the Lord Always

Begin to rejoice in the Lord, and your bones will flourish like an herb, and your cheeks will glow with the bloom of health and freshness. Worry, fear, distrust, care-all are poisonous! Joy is balm and healing, and if you will but rejoice, God will give power.  A.B. Simpson

Do you rejoice in the Lord always?  That is a tough question isn’t it.  It is kind of hard to rejoice when you are in the midst of losing your job, going through illness or the loss of a loved one. Then there are the aggravations of life like your car breaks down, you are late for a meeting, the kids are acting up in school and the water pipe to the toilet breaks and water floods your house. 

Philippians 4:4 is an extremely easy verse to remember because it is so short.  I need short because my memory is just not what it used to be. The other thing about Philippians 4:4 is that the end of the verse repeats the beginning of the verse. Why would it be so important to repeat what was said at the beginning? Rejoice in the Lord, AGAIN I say rejoice!

I think it has to do with what God wants us to focus our attention on.  If everything God does or allows to happen in our life is for our good, then instead of worrying or bemoaning the fact that something bad is happening we should be rejoicing. 

Joseph is one of the best examples of someone who could have bemoaned his situation.  I mean he was sold by his brothers, enslaved in Egypt and went to prison.  If anyone had reason to deny God it was Joseph.  All of the trials Joseph went through brought him back full circle so that he could save his people.  Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?  But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Genesis 50:19-20

We should rejoice in the Lord always, whether our circumstances are good or bad.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I rejoice in You.  You are my strength when I am weak and You guide me when I stumble.  Help me to rejoice in everything no matter what the circumstance.  Joy will grow in me when I look at everything that happens in my life as a blessing and rejoice in You.

Scripture: 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.  Philippians 4:4-7