Rejoicing

 Greetings to  you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Philippians 4:4 says, “ Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”

     Advertisements for toothpaste usually show s someone smiling with a big grin, showing off their pearly white teeth.  It is, however, just an advertisement.  I often see people with fake smiles just like the ads but they are inwardly hurting inside.  I had a heart attack in 1990 as many of  your know and I read the book of Philippians every day while in the hospital.  It was a comfort to me as the theme is joy and rejoicing throughout the book.  Idid have the peace of God in my heart and so could rejoice in Him even when lying in a cardiac intensive care unit in Parkersburg, West Virginia,

     The word “rejoice” is found about 183 times in the Bible, and much of it is in the Psalms, but in the New Testament, the Book of Philippians has the most references to “rejoice.”  It occurs ten different times.  The book itself has a very practical function in our Christian lives and a lot of it occurs in this fourth chapter.  Rejoicing sometimes is difficult for us but we are still admonished to rejoice.  The key is to notice how we are to be rejoicing.  We are to rejoice in the Lord alway.  The passage continues with another exhortation in which we are to give thanks for everything.  That sometimes is just as difficult as rejoicing, but again, it is an exhortation that we are not to avoid.  When you read the Bible through and get to the last chapter of Revelation, you soon discover the “We win.”  Death will be conquered, our bodies will be new, we will be in heaven with God, there will be no more tears, there will be no more suffering and it will last forever and ever.  That is a just cause for rejoicing during the temporary suffering that we have on this earth..  As I approach my final days, I have to remind myself often of this fact.  In the end, I will win and there is no power on earth that can stop my winning.  I realize that every day I live is both one day closer to my death or one day closer to the rapture, whichever comes first.  So, I win and Satan loses no matter how makes me feel by his feeble buffeting of my body and my mind.  This particular verse is also a chorus that is sung in churches today and I can’t help but sing it when I come to this verse.  It is a “round” and I go over it and over it singing the parts, Rejoice in the Lord alway and again I say Rejoice.  When you feel a tad down or just in poor spirits, just remember what is in store for us after our brief journey on this earth.  “This earth is not my home, I’m just a passing through.”Praise God today for the joy that only He can bestow on us.