Rejoicing Always

 Paul exhorts us in [Phil 4:4] to rejoice in the Lord always. Sometimes that is easier to read than to live. It is easy to rejoice when everything is going your way. When the bank account is full. When the family is getting along. When the trials are minimized and the successes are maximized. When your health is good. Rejoicing is more natural in those times. 

What about when the financial tests keep coming and when funds are depleted toward unexpected expenses. What about when strife is tearing the family apart. When trials pound you like a jackhammer unceasingly and wear you down. What about when all the work you have poured your soul into does not translate into success. What about when your health fails. When your immune system is compromised. Do you rejoice in those times too? 

The word rejoice in [Phil 4:4] can also be translated be glad. It is uncommon to be glad in adverse circumstances. It is both a command and a choice. To choose gladness when circumstances are not gladsome. True our situations may be challenging and even grievous. That does not mean that we cannot rejoice in the Lord. 

We can choose to rejoice that God sent Jesus as a baby in a manger we love to celebrate this time of year. We can rejoice in the miraculous virgin birth. We can rejoice that when mankind needed saving God sent us a Savior born in Bethlehem. We can rejoice that Herod did not have his way exterminating Jesus. We can rejoice that God warned Joseph in a dream to take his family to Egypt. We can rejoice that Jesus resisted Satan's temptation so that He could be the perfect sacrifice to redeem people. We can rejoice in Jesus obedience to accept joyfully death on a cross for the greater good. We can rejoice that Jesus did not stay dead and buried in the tomb. We rejoice that He is risen. We rejoice that He is our Good Shepherd. He is the Light of the World. He is the Lamb of God. He is the King of Kings. The Prince of Peace He is the Lord of Lords. He is the Great Physician. And so much more. 

There are more reasons to rejoice in the Lord than there are reasons to whine, complain, doubt, and sink into depression. It is a matter of perspective. 

We are exhorted to rejoice in the Lord always. Put another way, that means to rejoice in the Lord at all times. Even when you lose a game by 60 points. When the migraine shoots sharp piercing pains all through the night. When your vision dims. When your work is unfruitful. When death cruelly snatches the one you love. When you feel forgotten and neglected. When it feels God has abandoned you. 

It is a rare thing to find people who rejoice in the Lord always. I have met and been inspired by many of them. Some from history like Jeremiah, Joseph, Paul, and Job. Others from more recent past like David Brainerd, Charles Simeon, Lottie Moon, Hudson Taylor, William Carey, Amy Carmichael, and Elizabeth Elliot. I've even seen modern day glad hearted followers of Jesus even in the worst of times. I talked with such a one Sunday morning as she exited the service. She told me she chose joy a year ago in the trial of her husband being terminally diseased. She radiates what Phil 4:4 is all about. 

Remember rejoicing in the Lord always is both a command and a choice. I hope we will choose to obey and be glad.