MORNING MANNA 5-8-21
REJOICE
“Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say, rejoice”- Phil. 4:4
I wish every Christian really understood how important this is. And I love the way Miller began. He said, “The Bible insists upon joy as an element of Christian life”. I believe that’s an undeniable fact. It seems strange to me that most Christians don’t see it that way. Most seem to think that joy is nice but not necessary. They act as though it is no big deal if you don’t have it – and certainly none of the preachers business. But they are very wrong.
While I could say many things about the seriousness of this subject I’ll mention just one. Neh. 8:10 says, “the joy of the Lord is your strength”. That implies that if we lack joy we lack strength – we will be a weak. And that’s dangerous! Without strength we cannot resist temptation, endure trials, nor bear an effective testimony for Christ. It can even affect your health. What more do you need to see that your absence of joy is cause for concern? Everyone says they want to be joyful, but some refuse to do anything to secure it. It’s as though they would rather live in misery than make things right with God.
As much as it grieves me to see people living without joy there’s no way it can be forced upon them. It is their choice. If you are a child of God you have the potential for joy unspeakable and full of glory. If you will turn to the Word of God and trust the will and wisdom of God such joy can be yours. Psa. 107:20 says, “He sent his word and healed them, And delivered them from their destruction”. Please know that you can too can rejoice in the Lord regardless of your circumstances. Instead of giving up hope, give in to whatever God wants and He will produce what’s missing. Gal. 5:22 says, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,…” If you yield yourself to the Holy Spirit you can “rejoice alway”. – HDS
Lakeway Baptist ChurchHumble, Tx.
