Rejoice

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" ~Philippians 4:4

Sometimes it's very difficult to rejoice.  In today's world with all the different pressures and obstacles we face, this might seem all but impossible.  Yet, we are directed to "Rejoice in the Lord always."  Praising our Father means we have to put aside the personal stuff and focus on HIM.  Even as His children, saved by Christ, we still struggle with self.

Christ tells us, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." ~Matthew 16:24  Until we deny our self, rejoicing in the Lord will seems like an impossible task.  In our journey we must learn to discipline our body, heart and minds.  In doing so we will be well on our way to fulfilling this command.

Remember, as we journey along, that with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27).  In and through Him we learn that we are able to "Rejoice in the Lord always."  We also need to remember how to react to the trials and tribulations just around the corner.  They wait in part to test us in this act of rejoicing.

James helps us put this in context and directs us to "consider it pure joy."  The "it" here are the trials and tribulations in life.  James 1:2-4, "Count it all joy, my brothers,^[a] when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Our Father's will is that we become like Jesus and in His work we face many obstacles and trials.  Without these, we miss out on the greatness of our Lord and Savior.  When we take stock of everything going on in our life from day to day and add in these perspectives, life shows a new focus.  We still have work to do on our part as God performs His work in us.


In the end, this journey leads to an eternity with our Father and our Lord.  We need these experiences as we grow in grace. Our Father is always about His business within each of us.  We should embrace these times and lean on Christ always, as He will provide us with all we need to succeed.  We have everything before us and on our side in this journey.  Our Father who has no limitations; a Savior who provided us with the perfect example of how to live this life; and let's not forget the "great cloud of witnesses" cheering us on.


Blessings & Peace
~Robert