Rejoice always. I Thessalonians 5:16. Short passages such as this one bring a command from the Lord that is directive and difficult to accomplish because people are by nature murmurers and complainers. Every morning upon awakening they unconsciously think, “This must be doomsday.” Everything that happens during that day brings them to the conclusion, “I knew it; it’s doomsday.” People are given to allowing the momentary battle to obscure ninety-nine victories in a row. The Lord says, Rejoice always. Although the normal human response might be one of despondency, we must acquire the faith in God that will cause us to rejoice in the Lord. God wants His people to rejoice.
If you have hatred or bitterness in your heart you know you are sinning, because you believe the first thing a Christian must have is love. The second fruit of the Spirit is joy. When you come with discouragement and depression, with murmuring and complaining in your heart, you are violating that spirit of joy. The Lord commands, Rejoice always. The King James version reads, Rejoice evermore, which means, keep right on rejoicing. If you don’t believe in hatred because it is the opposite of love, then you can’t believe in murmuring or discouragement or complaining because they are the opposite of rejoicing in the Lord. You must determine to love, and you must determine to be joyful. Once you have made the decision, you will claim it from God and walk in it.
Everyone has problems that are upsetting on a natural plane, but remember—the Lord loves you! He has redeemed you. He has saved you. Cheer up! Be joyful! Perhaps you have thought, “What’s the purpose of trying to build myself up?” The joy of the Lord is your strength, and that joy is not manufactured by your own emotions. It is something you claim from God; a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
As we are concerned with our reactions to the world about us, to what is happening to us from day to day—as these things begin to prey upon us, we may feel depressed and discouraged, but it will pass. The important thing is that God has had His hand upon us for as long as we can remember, and He has His hand upon us even now. Beyond that veil hiding the future that God has for us, is something better than we can even dream of. Eye hasn’t seen, ear hasn’t heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the thing that God has prepared for them that love Him” (I Corinthians 2:9). We open our hearts with faith and relax, for we know it’s all in His hands.
Be joyful in the Lord. Look to the Lord and He will give you an occasion to rejoice. If you see the problem and interpret it according to the old nature’s responses instead of Christ’s, you can become very discouraged at times. It is easy to judge a situation and say, “Oh, this is the end of everything!” No, it isn’t. Put your faith in the Lord. Trust Him. Ask Him to help you not to murmur.
God took the Israelites out of Egypt and did many good things for them. They murmured and complained all the way, never realizing that they were only making a trip from one place to another. They complained about it as though it were their permanent diet, the set circumstances in which they would have to live; yet they were only moving from one land to another. Everyone must endure some discomfort while traveling. We must be filled with faith to realize that we are in transition. We’re pilgrims, we’re strangers. God is taking us into a good land, into a period in our lives better than we have ever known.
We are a family—God’s family. By the grace of God we look up and say, “Abba Father.” That was an endearing term in the Greek. As one minister has explained, “We can paraphrase it and say, ‘In the midst of difficulties and when we need comfort we look up to our Papa Daddy.’ ” Look up to Him today. Draw the grace and help that He has for you. “Abba Father, help me.”
If you have been clouded and restrained, walled off and withdrawn, reach out to the Lord, “Father, give me Your joy and minister to my spirit. I’m Your child.” Let it echo in your heart. Wouldn’t this be a wonderful world to live in if there weren’t any devils, relatives, bosses, circumstances or bill collectors? If there were no banks or money, notes or loans or taxes—wouldn’t this be a wonderful world? You’d be bored stiff. Walk with God. You may say, “I don’t have what it takes.” So, what’s new? Look to God. You’ve been through the mill, but it doesn’t matter. You’re God’s child. You’re sitting in the presence of the Lord. You’re citizens of His Kingdom. It is His great family and you are His sons and daughters. Open your hearts to it. Move into something of the Lord; move toward God. Wake up to the things of God. You don’t come to church to hear a sermon—you come to meet God. Say, “Lord Jesus, here I am.” Take the walls down and open the door to the Lord and say, “Lord, meet me—meet me Father. I’m one of those sheep of your pasture, one of those children at Your table. Feed me and help me, Lord.” Jesus is saying, “I knock at the door. If any man hears My voice and opens the door, I’ll come in.…” That’s what it is all about, a communion with the Lord. Be open to it. He must be real to you.
Get rid of the sin, too—things that keep pricking your conscience. Inadequacy can swallow you up and make you feel as if you are nothing. “Lord Jesus, take us as we are and make us what You want us to be.” If you feel like a second-rate person, it doesn’t matter. God is with you. We take it by faith like everything else, for we have to believe. We believe He is and we believe He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.