Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Application: 

The church faces opposition within and without, yet here is Paul, writing a letter about joy and telling the Philippians to rejoice. From a human perspective, it doesn’t make sense. And yet the path to joy is to actually choose to rejoice, so Paul tells them to rejoice in the Lord always. And to drive home the point, he repeats himself: I will say it again: Rejoice!

Worldly happiness is not the same as godly happiness. Godly happiness is called joy. In the Bible, the word joy is a celebratory term. Thus, Paul is calling for celebration. The difference between joy and secular happiness is that the latter depends on what happens; it is circumstantially driven. 

So, if things are going in an upward direction in life, you feel up, but if things are going down, you feel down. This keeps you on an emotional rollercoaster. Biblical joy, by contrast, has to do with stability and celebration on the inside regardless of circumstances on the outside. We must choose to rejoice to experience the joy God promises us.

The path to joy includes letting your graciousness be known to everyone. It means not spreading unhappiness to others. Being gracious means we don’t use our ministries to be vindictive or hateful when things aren’t going well. Rather, we embrace a good attitude because we know the Lord is near. He’s closer to us than we think. But if we refuse to rejoice and instead complain, we can make the very near God feel very far off indeed.

Reference: Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2019), 1245.

To God be the glory!

Our Lord Jesus Christ created everything! By Him, For Him!

“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

Disclaimer

When God inspires me, I write blogs. Consider this writing as a Bible study. Like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, search the Scriptures to determine whether what I write is so. Always consult with your church ministers about biblical matters. I am also not a professional writer, so some grammar or spelling errors may be present. I try my best to write as efficiently as possible. Your brother in Christ, Ricardo

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My book, “Battle Strategy: God’s Plan Amid Chaos.” It’s packed with helpful insights into Bible study and understanding. You can get a free digital version on my website. Fifty percent of the proceeds from this book go to helping children. The book covers the main biblical points and salvation, so you’ll find something valuable. 

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