Rejoice in the Lord part 2

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice- Phil. 4:4

The soul of the saint has been united with the immortality and resurrected power of the Living Christ, thus giving him the ability to find his joy in the power and majesty of his Savior and Lord. Notice the word ability. Ability is a term of untapped power. For example, one may have the ability to accomplish a thing, but out of lack of motivation and an undisciplined spirit, the ability never manifests itself as an accomplishment. This also applies to the believer in terms of rejoicing, and brings me to my second point of this divine command. Since it is a command to be obeyed, it involves a desire of the will. The Christian has the ability and the resources to rejoice in the Lord, but out of stubbornness, laziness, unbelief, or a lack of discipline, which are all manifestations of an unwilling heart, the saint comes into disobedience in this manner. If the believer would by any means doubt the seriousness of such a command, the Holy Spirit, through the apostle, lays great importance on this command by repeating it.Why is it of great importance that the Christian rejoice always in the Lord? Here are two reasons I would like to suggest.

First, there is nothing more confounding to human nature, opposed to the wisdom of the world, and frustrating to the wiles of the devil than the ability to have joy while everything around you is being brought to nothing. The societal ideal of happiness and joy is based solely on a materialistic, circumstantial basis. This is why true joy eludes those who are perishing, and even some of God's elect. When hopes and dreams are built out of castles of sand, the destructive waves of tragedy leave its inhabitants left with nothing but the bitter taste of the salty wave that just destroyed their life's selfish pursuits. It proved that their reliance on such things was indeed futile. However, when the world witnesses a saint in suffering, she has the chance to encounter the glory of God. The saint must forever and always remember this one thing- that the glory of God is always at stake in his or her life, every second and every hour. One will either glorify God in his suffering of unfair circumstance or he will slander Him. The watching world needs to behold the obedient saint in the midst of his suffering. They need to see him with his head held high and his arms lifted in praise, and hear from the utterance of his lips, "though He slay me, I will yet praise him, for the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, but blessed be the name of the Lord. For this one thing I know, and of this one thing I am certain, that I have entrusted my life, my soul, and my all, into the hands of the living God, and I shall not be moved. For the same hand that holds the universe in its expanse is the same hand that has gripped my soul with a grasp of grace and love, and I will never be snatched away." Such words, reflected from an attitude of humble reliance, dumbfounds a world that thinks it deserves an easy, trouble free life.

Secondly, it causes the saint to realize the only source of true joy in life. In our times of greatest distress, things that we thought were once so important and things that we thought brought delight to our soul all of the sudden have no ability to sustain our heart with strength, or fill our soul with joy. It is in these times that the saint comes to realize that the only thing that will satisfy his hungry soul, quench the thirst of his dry and cracking heart, and strengthen his legs for the journey is the joy of the Lord.The saint always has occasion for rejoicing, which is why it is to be a constant thing with a child of God. The scripture declares that we are more than conqueror through Christ, and that nothing in all of God's created order can separate us from his passionate love. One who has been promised such power and love has no reason to hang his head or be embittered or overcome by his present afflictions. For I have never seen the victor with his head down and his arms hanging, nor have I never witnessed the one who is loved unconditionally with no reason for hope.

Rejoice in the Lord part 1

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice- Phil. 4:4

Rejoice, in the Greek, is an imperative of command. As a command, rejoicing for the Christian becomes an issue of obedience. If the Christian is not rejoicing in the Lord at all times, and under all circumstances, it shows that the object of his faith has ceased to be the Lord Jesus, and he has become preoccupied with the tragedies and uncertainties that surround him. His mind begins to entertain such incredulous thoughts of doubt and discouragement, rendering him impotent in all manner of rejoicing. Only when he is able to fix his eyes upon Jesus, and refocus his wandering mind on the certainty, that God, in his sovereign, predetermined will, has orchestrated this event for the sanctifying of his faith, will he be able to find true joy. Only then will he embrace the suffering of Christ and find comfort in the Father of Compassion. Then, the Christian will find that rejoicing in the Lord is not only his strength, but also his privilege. Notice that the rejoicing is in the Lord. Again, this rejoicing is made possible because of its object. The rejoicing is not in the hope that one will ever be delivered from his present circumstance. For Paul had no certainty that he would ever be brought out from his Roman cell, nor did he find time to worry over it. The apostle himself penned with his own hand just how he felt about his present circumstance, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me, and I do not know which one to choose." (Phil. 1:21-22). The attitude of the apostle is a reflection of one who finds his rejoicing in the Lord no matter his present state. For in his situation, he had the heavenly mindset that his time in prison could be used for fruitful service. He was content that deliverance from his situation may not come, save death or the return of Christ. Was his rejoicing in the chains around his feet, or the dampness and coldness of his prison cell? No, his rejoicing is in the Lord himself- for to live is Christ. With the Lord as one's focus, rejoicing is made possible in the midst of dire circumstances. The Lord of glory is able to fill the saint with a joy inexpressible and full of glory, because of the living hope that Christ has risen from the dead. This is a hope and a joy in the soul’s darkest hour and the saint’s greatest travail. The reason being is that the Christian has a Savior that has passed through the waters of despair, and has come out dry. He has walked through the flames of affliction and temptation, and has been found perfect. He has experienced the sting of betrayal, and the crushing blow of being abandoned by all whom he called his friends. He faced the cross with courage, knowing the joy that would soon be his afterward. He conquered the greatest enemy, death, showing that there was nothing in all creation that He could not subdue. Therefore, because of who Christ is and what he has done, the saint can know with absolute certainty that he will not be overcome, nor will he be swept away by whatever vexes his mortal soul.