Philippians 4:4

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Part 1

            Now this is not a suggestion but a command. It is a repeated command. The “RE” in rejoice is an intensifier and it means to have great joy. Why does God command it of us?

            When working on the railroad a fellow worker said to me, “God sure must hate you Christians!”

            “Why?” I asked.

            “My neighbor is a Christian and all he does is complain! He has nothing but trouble after trouble. I have never seen him happy.”

            I did not know which one to feel sorry for, the man or his neighbor. When Jesus said that He wanted His disciples to have his joy, I wonder what they thought. Was it “What joy, you were a man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief?”

            Now if he was as sad as the reformers are portrayed, I would suppose that mothers would have to command their children to sit on His lap, but they did not. Think of that.

            Why did Sinners always want to invite him to their parties? In Luke 15, Jesus is accused of wanting to be with them. Did you notice the three stories that He told were three different celebration of Joy. A shepherd when he returned with his lost sheep. The woman who had cleaned her whole house probably spent more than the coin was worth just to have a party.

            I certainly do not have to mention he great happiness of the straying son’s father upon his return.

            One thing for sure Jesus not only had great joy but wanted us to have his joy also. Would we not find sinners more attracted to our Savior if they saw the “Joy of the Redeemed” in our faces and in our lives. Today determine, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, to live out today with His sovereign Joy!  -- Pastor Van is a frequent contributor for Freedom Fighter and a friend of America’s Keswick

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 22; Isaiah 65-66; 1 Timothy 2

Dig This Quote: “In believing prayer, we learn to connect our present troubles to the good and perfect will of God. We refuse to believe that chance rules our lives. We withstand the temptation to imagine that God is capricious or malicious. We know he has a higher purpose and that he is not dealing with us as our sins deserve. As we bring our troubles to Jesus in prayer—asking his will to be done—we approve the will of our Father in heaven. We see our sufferings in the greater reality of his good, acceptable, and perfect will. In prayer we “turn crisis to Christ.” Our heart becomes tuned to his heart and we sing the song of grace.”

Determined Praying: In prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart. John Bunyan

Determined Digging: Level 1: John 1:12-13; Level 2: Proverbs 4:20-27