“Rejoice in the Lord Always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Phil. 4:4 The Apostle Paul is writing to one of his favorite churches, the church at Philippi. They had supported him when others hadn’t. This had been the place that Lydia, the dealer in purple had met the Lord. This had been the place that the jailer and his whole family had come to the Lord. Now Paul was writing from another jail to the church at Philippi.

Paul was an expert in trouble. He lists his troubles in 2 Corinthians 11 and 12 and it is quite a list. He knew what it was like to face problems but still he has managed to make his relationship with Jesus real to his everyday life…no matter what that meant. In the midst of problems, in the midst of troubles, he said, “Rejoice.” Rejoicing is more than an inward feeling. It is an aggressive outward act of your will when things go wrong.

Let me explain. For some reason, we think it is okay to holler our heads of at a ball game, but it is undignified to express emotion about the creator of the universe who has happened to provide salvation for us. We holler at football games but somehow equate silence with holiness and proper etiquette in church.

Rejoicing is an act of your will and touches to the core of your being when you exercise your will to rejoice in the Lord. It stirs you on the inside. It reframes your problems. It highlights the power of God not the difficulty of your problem.

When you make the decision to rejoice, you have set your life on a new course. I have found this to be true with cancer. When I walk into the hospital from the parking lot, I praise the Lord. I rejoice in the Lord. Some days are easier than others. Some days I don’t rejoice and I can tell the difference in the outcome of the day. Some days our emotions give us a huge battle but this is where your will comes in and where God helps you when you take that step of faith and rejoice in the Lord.

When you rejoice, the problem, difficulty, or affliction may still be there but by rejoicing in the Lord, you have reduced the affliction down to size. You have refocused on the Lord and eternity and that is a whole new way of living.

Enough said for one day. Sorry I am preaching but what do you expect of a preacher. Rejoice in the Lord. PB