Rejoice In The Lord Always

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice." Philippians 4:4

St. Paul wrote those words even though he had a terrible affliction of some sort he called "a thorn in his flesh." 

In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 he wrote: "Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Paul was beaten, stoned, persecuted, imprisoned, and suffered much abuse for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always..."

What does that word "rejoice" mean? 

The Strong's Bible Dictionary defines it:

χαίρω khah'-ee-ro

Definition: to be "cheer"ful, i.e. calmly happy or well-off; impersonally, especially as salutation (on meeting or parting), be well

Usage:  be glad, God speed, greeting joy(- fully), rejoice.

Paul is saying, "Don't despair! Don't be discouraged! Instead, choose to be happy, choose to rejoice. To rejoice in spite of our discouragements, trials, and sufferings is a choice we can make. 

The apostle James told us to rejoice despite our circumstances. 

James 1:2-4 "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. 

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Instead of being discouraged by our challenges, we need to focus on our blessings. There is always something we can be thankful for. 

It is good to keep in mind that no matter how much we are suffering, there is always someone somewhere who is suffering far more than we are, and we should pray for that person. 

The prophet Jeremiah saw terrible tragedy all around him. Yet he wrote in Lamentations 3:22-23: 

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."

Gratitude is a wonderful antidote for discouragement and will bring the blessing of joy into our hearts. 

Starting today may it be our choice to "Rejoice in the Lord always!"

Prayer

Heavenly Father, may You help us choose to rejoice always in You and to be grateful for all the ways You have blessed us and been so faithful to us throughout our lives. We love You, in Jesus' name, amen.

"Rejoice in The Lord Always"© 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Illustration © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.  Scripture References King James Bible, Strong's Bible Dictionary, NIV Bible Translation © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All Rights Reserved. Unto The Least of These © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

The Painting

 "And we know that all things work together for good 

to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." 

~Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

The Painting 

© 2014 S.D. Harden 

Lord, I thank You for today, 

For Thy gifts You sent my way... 

Thank You for forgiving me 

When I was too blind to see 

Thy treasures all along my path; 

Gifts for which I never asked;

You poured them out upon my way; 

You called them gifts, I called them pain~ 

Because I was too blind to see 

Them through Your eyes,

But patiently 

You held my hand 

And said to me, 

Someday, My child, 

Someday, You'll see, 

This pain's a gift~ 

Thy suffering
Is just My paintbrush
Painting Thee;
~A Portrait grande
Someday You'll see

My Face in yours

My Masterpiece.

Jesus Comforting His Child © S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved.

 Prayer 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that Thy mercies are new every morning, so great is Thy faithfulness to us. You are such an awesome, generous God, Thy word says that You daily "load us with benefits"--daily You give and give to us and bear all our burdens if we will allow You to. And although we may have to suffer various trials, Thy word promises that You are going to weave all these together into something 
beautiful in each one of us
 who love You. 

That is why we can be thankful always, for all things, even though we may not understand sometimes, we know we can trust in Thy faithfulness and in Thy love for us. 

Thank You, Abba Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

"The Painting" © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Unto The Least of These /Illustration: Jesus Comforting His Child; Suzanne Davis Harden © 2014 All Rights Reserved.

Scripture Photo Illustration/via Pinterest  
Scripture Quotation: New King James Bible ©1982 Thomas Nelson Inc. Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Thank You, Lord

 "This is the day the Lord has made;We will rejoice and be glad in it."

~Psalm 118:24

Thank You, Lord

Lord, I thank You for this day,

I bless and praise Thy holy name!

I bless and sing Thy holy praise

For all Thy gifts to me You gave!

Holy, holy, is Thy name!

Thank You for my soul You saved;

Saved me from sin and the grave,

By Christ's blood, oh praise Thy name!

© 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden all Rights Reserverd.

God's Word admonishes us to be thankful for all of the gifts and bessings which He showers down upon each of us every day. However, sometimes we can be blinded to the sense of God's Presence and His gifts to us and think that He has forgotten all about us. 

We may even think that He somehow loves us less than others because we end up comparing our lives to other people and think we've gotten a raw deal. 

Many things can cause this to happen. God knows and understands this perfectly. His grace meets each of us where we are. Just as the clouds can obscure the sun sometimes making it less visible does not mean it has gone away.  

Even so, illness, trials, any number of sad things can blind us to God's good gifts in our lives. 

But just as the sun is still shining even on the cloudiest of days, God's gifts to us are still there waiting to be discovered if we just open our eyes and stop focusing on the sad things. Being grateful releases joy in our hearts. 

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to see the wonders of Your grace all around us even during challenging times. Help us remember that there are no second class citizens in Your Kingdom...for You are no respecter of persons and love each of us as if we were the only one to love. How... Because You live inside of us and have each of us all to Yourself. We are Your very own precious temples and You cherish us. Thank You for the wonder of knowing and loving You! You are an awesome God! In Jesus' holy name, Amen 

Unto The Least of These, © 2014 S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved. Prayer Poem-"Thank You, Lord" © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. /Photo Illustration/Modified via Pinterest/ Scripture/ NKJV © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.