Philippians 4:4

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


Rejoice – to feel or show great joy or delight. It is a cause to joy to. We are not to be discouraged by this world which has little to find joy in. We may be surrounded by the world, but we must remember we are not of the world. Our joy is not found in the material, or the superficial things of this world. Too often people think that if they have enough money, or enough of the best clothing, or a fancy home their whole life will be happy and “joyful.” We are filled with a joy which is much deeper than those “things” of life, for they will not last, they will not take us into heaven to be with our Father, they will not help us be more like Christ and to live a good and holy life! Rather, they have the tendency to draw us away from our loving heavenly Father. What gives us the joy deep down in our heart which cannot be taken away is the joy that Jesus gave to us through his sacrifice on the cross to save our soul. The joy we have is the blessing of God to be in relationship with him, to become more like him, to live our days with his Holy Spirit within us, guiding us and showing us how to be more holy. There is never a time when we cannot rejoice in the Lord and his work within us. I know we will not always be happy, that life will come with its challenges and disappointments, life will not plan out always the way we hope for. That is the world which intrudes upon our life. God’s plan is far bigger than what the world offers. We may not see what we hope for until the day when we stand before our Lord face to face. But none of those temporary worldly things take us away from having joy in our Lord Jesus. He is the source and the foundation of our joy.

Pastor Julia

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