We all have opportunities every day to get upset and lose our joy. I hear people say, “I would be happy if my spouse treated me better, or if I got a job. I would be happy if my children behaved well.” Then there are other things that hinder our joy—financial struggles, stress, people, circumstances, etc. There will always be something that can steal our joy. Amid the ups and downs of life, do we live hopeless and sad in life, or does God’s joy sustain us?
Rejoice always. 1 Thessalonians 5:16. Greek: pantote chairete (always be rejoicing)
This command is unambiguous, clear, and not in need of much interpretation. There is no event or circumstance that can occur in the life of any Christian that should diminish that Christian joy. God wants us to be joyful.
1. Trials do not negate a believer’s inner joy.
II Corinthians 6:10. Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.
In Jesus’ final time with His disciples in John Chapters 13 to 17, in the Upper Room Discourse, He mentions “joy” and “full joy” eight times. In the night of His betrayal, Jesus reminds them repeatedly of joy, that they are to be joyful.
In Philippians, which is Apostle Paul’s prison epistle, joy is mentioned some 16 times. Joy is continually stressed throughout the New Testament. Throughout the book of Acts we find the disciples and apostles rejoicing that they were counted privileged to suffer persecution for the cause of Christ. We find joy as an emphasis in the Epistles.
So, even in persecution and trials we can find joy that can never be taken away.
Paul says in Colossians 1:24 “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you…”
Rejoice always does not mean that we will not feel sad.
The Bible is realistic and yet balanced. We must look at the scripture in total. They are not contradictory. Jesus could weep and yet have the joy. Even when Jesus faced the cross, he could have joy. John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
Therefore, when Paul says ‘rejoice always,’ it does not mean that we will not feel sad. We enjoy God’s joy even in the midst of severe trials. Often in the Psalms we can find that the psalmist is overwhelmed by grief and sorrow, yet when he focuses on God, by the time we come to the end of the psalm, he is experiencing God’s joy even in the midst of tremendspain.
So rejoice always does not mean that we will not feel sad.
2. The command to rejoice is not dependent upon positive circumstances.
The joy in the Lord is not superficial happiness based on the circumstances or the absence of trials. True joy is an attitude of hope in God that transcends circumstances.
We can rejoice in the Lord, in spite of the circumstances. No matter what we go through on the outside. We have that inner joy that our God gives, and no man can take it away.
3. How to find true joy?
a. Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Real joy comes from God as the source. That is why it is said in Galatians 5:22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, … God is the source of real joy. It is as if God fills a well with joy out of which we can draw our whole life and never diminish the source. Joy comes as a result of our obedience to God as Lord.
b. Joy comes from receiving the Scripture.
1 John 1:4 We write this to make your joy complete.
In the book of Nehemiah, we find Ezra the priest brought the Law of Moses and read it before the assembly. Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food… for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
God has given us the Holy Scripture. When we read and understand it, we are filled with joy. In the midst of all that is happening around us, Joy is related to the Scripture.
c. Joy is enhanced and enriched through trials.
Acts 16 describes the joy of Paul and Silas in the prison where they sang and praised God after a day of persecution. James tells the church, in fact, he emphasises, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” (James 1:2)
We can rejoice irrespective of our circumstances. Our joy is from the inside, knowing that God is in absolute control over our circumstances. God gives us joy through his son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit makes a person joyful, as it is part of the fruit of the Spirit, and the Scripture brings that joy into our lives.
Men and women throughout the centuries have found great joy in the midst of sorrow and trials. It is a privilege, strength, and duty to rejoice in the Lord when we allow His Spirit to rule our heart in the New Year 202