“Rejoice always”
This
is a good memory verse for two reasons:
First – it’s short …Second - it will change your life.
First – it’s short …Second - it will change your life.
This
verse is not a suggestion ... God is not saying “hey, it might be good if you
thought about incorporating joy into your day”. He is commanding you to rejoice always… And
the Greek translation means “rejoice always”.
So, the instruction is clear…
But
how is it done?... How do I rejoice in a
broken world full of pain? How do I rejoice at a funeral…a divorce…a medical
report with terrible news?
Part
of our problem is our confusion between the words “joy” and “happiness”.
Happiness is a flimsy, circumstantial emotion- and suggesting that we should be
happy at any of the above listed examples is misguided.
The
confusion exists because our culture has morphed the two words together. If you
google “Joy” it is defined as “a feeling of great
pleasure and happiness” …which is not an accurate definition of biblical joy.
The most glaring difference is that biblical Joy is a
condition not an emotion.
Joy is permanent. It is a gift from God. It is fruit of the Holy Spirit and it doesn’t change with circumstances.
Joy is permanent. It is a gift from God. It is fruit of the Holy Spirit and it doesn’t change with circumstances.
Not only is it permanent but Nehemiah says, “the joy of
the Lord is your strength”. So again…how do we do it? How do we obtain joy so
we can have strength?
We do it by choice. Instead of obsessing over the problem, we choose
to anticipate God’s solution. Joy is a biproduct
of understanding that God is in control and choosing to trust Him. It is a life
changing anchor in the storm. Not only
is joy appropriate at
a funeral…a divorce…or a debilitating illness…it is the very thing that carries
us through the suffering.
Whatever
you face today – you don’t face it alone.
Psalms says that God is “an ever-present help in trouble”. He is with
you, lean on Him.
Joy
is the state of knowing that God loves you - and recognizing what He is capable
of doing…nothing can separate you from the Love and security of Christ …and
that is the amazing reason you have the ability to “rejoice always”.
“Joy
is the settled assurance that God is in control, the quiet confidence that
everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in
every situation.” – Rick Warren
No comments:
Post a Comment