“REJOICE EVERMORE” I THESSALONIANS 5:16

The Apostle Paul commands us to rejoice always no matter what the circumstances seem to be. Our Christian joy is not dependent upon external circumstances; its springs out of the fact that we are in Christ and is rooted in the unfathomable blessings flowing from that union. Thus, everything in our Christian experience should be a cause for Joy. Even though we are maligned, even though we are misunderstood, we can rejoice because we are assured that God almighty is still in control. We can rejoice in what God is doing in our lives and in what he is doing to do. When you think about it realistically, God is working through these “seemingly adverse circumstances” for our own good. Through these circumstances, we learn to depend on God.

Paul’s statement to “rejoice evermore” is in the imperative; and thus if we refuse to do it, we are sinning. We have no right to continue to be despondent and miserable. By rejoicing always even when our circumstances are adverse, we are displaying to one another that we are trusting in the all-sufficiency of Christ. To wreck our lives by remaining in the state of despondency, we are exhibiting to one another and to the world that we are not trusting in God.

In one Sunday morning service, our pastor read to our congregation the letter we received regarding the physical condition of Percy Prince. Even though Percy was ill, his letter brought Joy to our hearts because of his mammoth faith in God’s sovereignty for his life. After church service a friend of mine said, “I can’t understand how Percy could display so much Joy in his letter knowing that he is very ill.” I replied, “Percy has reached a spiritual point in his life where he has accepted God’s will for his life.” I told him we should all rejoice always because our infinite God is working out every situation in our lives for our lives for our own good.

Think about it!!!