Rejoice Always!

 It is very important for us to have the right view of Scripture. The Bible was inspired by God, so all of it is the Word of God, every word. It doesn't just contain the Word of God. Therefore, it has no errors. Whatever it says is true. It is infallible since it is from God. That means it always leads us in the right way, when we understand it correctly. So we need to take it literally, except when it is obviously symbolic, and we need to heed every command.

There is one brief verse in the Bible that we need to consider today. (I Thessalonians 5:16) It only has two words, but those two words speak volumes. It is a command, and we need to obey it. It simply says, "Rejoice always." This is a present tense command which means continuous action in the present. Always means all of the time. Therefore, God is commanding us to constantly be rejoicing 24/7 and 365. I am sure that raises a lot of questions, but I believe that is just what God meant to say to all of us.

Rejoicing is praising God. It is giving Him the glory for all things. It is being joyful in His goodness, wisdom, and power. It is a state of mind and a state of the heart. It is the opposite of being depressed and discouraged. It is being positive about life even when things go wrong. It is a deep abiding realization that everything is going to be alright since we know Jesus, and it expressing that hope and confidence all of the time. Rejoicing is God's will for all of us all of the time.

The Lord showed me this verse in my reading, and I knew He wanted me to write about it. Then, I saw some pictures from 17 years ago. John and Gao Foua had been married one year. My parents were healthy and happy. Chris was thriving, and we were doing God's will together. Those pictures brought some tears to my eyes, but I could still choose to rejoice in the Lord, and I did. Remember, the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) Therefore, rejoice and be strong and joyful in the power of the Lord.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read II Thessalonians 1-3 and I Timothy 1-2.