Nonstop Rejoicing
Nonstop Rejoicing
Rejoice always! (1 Thess. 5:16)
Mission Impossible?
Let’s face it, a lot of things are wrong in the world and in our own lives. Joy stealers abound—mounting bills, disappointing jobs, illnesses, relational tensions, never-ending to-do lists, and on and on it goes. Rather than feeling joyful, we often feel more like the prophet Jeremiah when he said, “My joy has flown away; grief has settled on me. My heart is sick” (Jer. 8:18).
So how can Paul, with a straight face, tell us to “rejoice always”? How can he say elsewhere, “I am confident about all of you that my joy will also be yours” (2 Cor. 2:3)? And Paul wasn’t the only one who said things like this. Jesus said to His disciples, “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).
An Inside Job
The reason Paul and Jesus could lay down an expectation for continual joy is because they knew that the source of joy is ever present and inexhaustible—the Holy Spirit living inside of us, reminding us of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Joy does not depend on our circumstances. It comes from the inside, not the outside.
Many of us have heard this truth before, but we have a hard time believing it. It seems too simplistic. It doesn’t seem to account for our really bad situation. Well, it may be simple, but it’s true, and it applies to every one of us. It’s a matter of faith.
Bottom Line
Believers always have reason to rejoice because God is always present. The more we learn to rejoice in Him, the easier it all becomes.