Rejoice!

Rejoice!

Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice! [Ps. 37:4.] Philippians 4:4 AMPC

The Inspiration:

Paul writes to the church in Philippi, and as is his custom, his message is always about the Christian life and experience. He enjoins the people around him to walk in unity, promoting peace. God cannot and will not work where there is disunity or bitterness. He is called the Prince of peace, as well as Jehovah Shalom. He is the One who births and sustains that which is of Him. He is the God who lives in the hearts of all who are fully submitted to Him. His Spirit lives in those people, and His Spirit births attributes and lifestyles that reflect the presence of God. One of such attributes is joy. God cannot live in a man's heart and there will be no joy. Along with joy comes other attributes such as peace, goodness and love, among others. This tells me that joy is not so much about what goes on outside, but who lives inside.

The Expectation:

The world will celebrate the external, laying emphasis on ephemeral things like possession, position, power or prestige. Men will tie their happiness to these things, and will not be happy when things don't fall in line. That is the difference between happiness and joy; one stays on the outside, and is linked to physical things, and the other does not need any physical thing for it to exist. The presence of God is the guarantee of joy, not possessions or position. If I will then live out today's verse, I have to take a good look at my inner man, and confirm who /what is in charge there. If God sits on the throne of my heart, there is a guarantee of joy. If anyone or anything else sits on the throne, you may enjoy the thrill for a season, but there is a guarantee that it will not last. I need God to be in total control if my life will take shape.

The Conclusion:

The charge to rejoice is repeated in this verse because, as you know, repetition strengthens memory. Life will definitely happen to the best and the rest of us, and you could sometimes forget to pause and be grateful for who you are and what you have. Let God do the work only He can do in a man's life, so that the life can produce and reflect all that God is and gives. I rejoice in the Lord today, because I know that my earthly life is just a preparation for eternity with God. I know I have hope for a great tomorrow; a tomorrow that will impact lives. I rejoice in the finished work of Christ on the cross, because by it, I stand to inherit all that Christ is and has. What could be more? I rejoice; God's time of favour is here.