DO THIS! (PART 7)

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In Christ, Mark

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

Rejoice always.

1 Thessalonians 5:16

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

Rejoicing.

It’s an action a person chooses with intent, not coercion.

Maybe you have been there before, in a place where people were celebrating in unity over something that happened but you weren’t in that same place. In fact, the last thing you felt like doing was being jubilant. Sometimes life’s circumstances can bring us to that place, to a place where we feel unable to rejoice even if we should.

Our enemy Satan loves it when he successfully drags our spirits away from gladness because it’s the complete opposite direction from what the Lord wills and wants. We know this because of today’s simple two word command, the seventh command found in this series titled “Do This!” drawn from Paul’s closing words in his first letter to the Thessalonian Christians. The Apostle writes:

Rejoice always (5:16a).

Note here that the Lord isn’t saying we should rejoice only when we feel like it. He is demanding that we always be in a spirit of rejoicing.

And always means always. No gaps. No compromises. We are expected to rejoice at all times and in all circumstances.

Now, this isn’t the first place were the scriptures speak about the requirement for God’s people to celebrate non-stop. Consider these verses:

Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 1 Chronicles 16:9-10

Let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Psalm 5:11

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! Psalm 32:11

We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. Psalm 33:20-21

All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what He has done. The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him; all the upright in heart will glory in Him! Psalm 64:9-10

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, Lord. They rejoice in Your name all day long; they celebrate Your righteousness. For You are their glory and strength.” Psalm 89:15-17

Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise His holy name. Psalm 97:12

I will give You thanks, for You answered me; You have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. Psalm 118:21-25

For the Lord takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with victory. Let His faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds. May the praise of God be in their mouths. Psalm 149:4-6

The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove His people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.

 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” Isaiah 25:8-9

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. Matthew 5:12

Rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Luke 10:20b

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

I think we can easily say that we are to rejoice and do so always for there are so many reasons to do so, reasons that transcend any inclination to not. And yet, this isn’t easy, right? It’s far easier to say we are supposed to rejoice always than it is to actually make it happen.

This is where we need the Lord’s help because none of us are capable to rejoice always when left to our own devices. We don’t have that kind of strength or perseverance in the midst of our humanity.

But through God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). He always makes the improbable probable and the unattainable attainable.

And so when we feel like we can’t rejoice, we turn to Him. We remember all His wonderful works in our lives and the lives of those we know. We remember that He is our refuge and very present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). We remember He is always with us, no matter what. We remember that He is perfectly right, just, and good in His dealings with us. And we remember the salvation He brought to us out of love, unwilling to allow us to perish and so He brought us a chance for victory instead of defeat, a victory that leads to the reward of Heaven and eternal life (John 3:16).

Friends, when we step back each day and take full account of all our God has done, is doing, and is yet to do, how can we not rejoice always?

To not do so would be nothing short of a sin.

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