Rejoice Always!

Do you mean that even when we are going through trials and suffering we should rejoice? Well, quite frankly – yes. You see Scripture tells us in (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18): “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Not only should we always be rejoicing but it is God’s will that we do this. The Bible is full of verses that show us that rejoicing, even in difficult times, should be a way of life for us. Just consider the following verses:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2-3).

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12).

“And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So, they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” (Acts 5:40-41).

In all of the above instances joy is often the key to helping us endure the trials and sufferings we as Christians often have to face for our faith in Christ. (Nehemiah 8:10) tells us: “…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” I love this verse because it shows me that when I rejoice in my sufferings for the sake of the gospel I receive the strength to endure and overcome any trial.

We must be careful not to confuse joy with happiness. Happiness is a feeling we get when circumstances go our way. As a result, happiness depends on positive circumstances. Joy, however, is not dependent on circumstances, but on our relationship with Jesus. As we draw closer to our Savior, and fall more in love with Him, the more joy we will experience, since deeply abiding in Christ is synonymous with lasting joy.

But just what is joy? I like to define joy as, “the state of being totally content, that no matter what the circumstances are, that we are doing things that are pleasing in the sight of the Lord and put a smile on God’s face.”

My friends the next time you face a trial, rather than look at it as something to frown about, look at it as an opportunity to endure it and thus bring glory to the Lord, and put a smile on God’s face. When we do this then it becomes possible to always rejoice. As a Christian happiness is nice but joy is so much more fulfilling because it pleases Jesus, and as the expression goes, “the world can’t give it and the world can’t take it away.”