“Rejoice
in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians
4:4).
Arthur Pink, in his booklet, The
Scriptures and Joy says, “there are some Christians who suppose it is
sinful to rejoice…Some have been taught…that it is their duty to be
gloomy…however, there is no precept in Scripture bidding us “Grieve in the Lord
always, and again I say, grieve.” My desire today is to encourage you with the
truth from the Scriptures that God’s will for you is JOY, and then to show you
the way to find joy in your life. The Bible says, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the
bones.” (Proverbs 17:22). Jesus Himself said, “Rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20).
Can you think of anything more
exciting or joyful, than to know that your sins are forgiven, and your names
are written in Heaven? What an encouraging truth. I don’t understand how a
Christian can stay depressed all the time – or why they would want to. The
Bible encourages, no – in fact, commands us – to rejoice in the Lord always. Not
only that, it tells us that a merry heart – or a joyful heart – will do us good
like a medicine. That tells me that joy is very important. When we have a
broken spirit, it dries the bones – it saps our strength. So what’s the secret
to finding real joy and strength in the Lord? Consider these Scriptures…
1. God comes to Dwell in the midst of His
people who are praising Him:
“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel
Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And
into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” The
way we come into God’s presence is with praise and thanksgiving. As you begin
to worship God, God begins to manifest His presence to you. Which leads us to
our next verse…
2. In God’s presence in fullness of joy:
“I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I
shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh
also will rest in hope…You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is
fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:8-11)
When you begin to
praise and worship God, and He begins to manifest His presence to you, there is
a joy that comes – indeed, a fullness of joy, a joy unspeakable and full of
glory. Our heart is glad, and it is a pleasure, to be in God’s presence. If you
want more joy in your life, it’s not going to come from outward circumstances,
because your circumstances are always changing. If you want to have a continual,
abiding joy, it comes from being with Jesus.
3. The Joy of the Lord will give you
strength:
“Do
not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10).
When you worship God, we enter
into His gates, and He manifests His presence to us. When that happens, we
experience fullness of joy (there’s nothing in life that compares to being in
the presence of Jesus). And when we experience the joy of the Lord, that joy is
what will give us strength for day-to-day living. Isaiah 30:41 says, “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew
their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and
not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” Today, maybe you’re not
experiencing the joy of the Lord. It’s easy to get depressed when you focus on
and think only about all the problems and troubles around you. But if you can
get your eyes off of your problems and onto Jesus, it makes all the difference.
So begin to praise and worship
God, even if you don’t feel like it, then CHOOSE JOY. “Sing praise to the Lord, You saints of His, And give thanks at the
remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is
for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be
my helper." You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put
off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.” (Psalm 30:4-5, 10-11).
Pastor Chris Jordan
www.beausejourchurch.ca
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