REJOICE!

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 2:17-18, 3:1, 4:4

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Imagine that you are imprisoned, your freedom taken away from you for no other reason than sharing the Gospel, telling others about the eternal life they would gain by simply believing in Jesus.

What would your attitude be?

I’m pretty sure most people wouldn’t respond as the Apostle Paul did as he writes to the Christians in Philippi, incarcerated in his cell in Rome. For as we look at three verses that span across the final three chapters of his letter, we find Paul sending a consistent message of exhortation:

Rejoice in the Lord!

Paul realized that he might see his life end in prison, “poured out like a drink offering” on the altar of his sacrifice and service to the Philippians, but this couldn’t take away the great joy he felt inside. He was glad and rejoiced over what the Lord had done through him and he encouraged the Philippians to do likewise. Paul knew that no matter happened to him, his future was secure in His Savior and this was reason to celebrate, not lament.

As we see in the first verse of chapter three and the fourth verses of chapter 4, Paul unapologetically repeats his call to rejoice as he knew it was a safeguard to the believers in Philippi as it should be to Christians today as well. We simply can’t allow our life circumstances to steal away the joy we should have in knowing death is never the end in Christ but just a glorious entry into the glory and beauty of everlasting life.

This is why we find Paul double down on his command to rejoice in Philippians 4:4 where he writes:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

The key word here is always.

The Bible is full of absolute statements and here is one of them. Always means always. It means we rejoice at all times, no matter what life brings our way. We are to carry an attitude of deep joy and gladness in good times and in bad. Paul did while jailed in Rome and we can too, regardless what we’re going through.

In the end translation, we serve a God who possesses the power to do all things, a God through which nothing is impossible. Our issues might seem bigger than we are but they are never too big for our God.

We need to rejoice always that God is for us and with us.

We need to rejoice and be glad in all circumstances as well because our God so loved is that He sent His only Son Jesus to rescue us from the certain judgment and eternal damnation for our sins. When we believe in Jesus as Savior, we are pardoned and given the gift of salvation through grace, a salvation that can never be taken away from us.

We need to rejoice always in the sure hope we have that everlasting life is guaranteed through our trust in Jesus.

Friends, Satan works overtime to try and rob us of our happiness and faith. He wishes for nothing more than to defeat and destroy us.

This is why the "rejoice" proclamations from Paul are as important for us today as they were for the Christians in Philippi during first century AD. Let us write his words on our hearts and minds so we can enter into every day with a spirit of thanksgiving and jubilation, ever mindful of the victory we have over all things with God and Jesus with us and for us.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com