What happens when you rejoice? Are you more generous? Are you kinder toward others? Do you feel better about how things are going in your life? Does rejoicing only occur when something good has happened? Or are you rejoicing regularly?
We often associate rejoicing with celebrating. When we are celebrating, we are certainly rejoicing. But celebrating is not the only time for us to rejoice. We can rejoice every day. We have reasons to rejoice every day. Perhaps we simply haven’t thought about it.
First, let’s define rejoice. It means to make glad or to take delight. Too often we only thing about being glad or happy. If we are not happy, we are not rejoicing. But that only accounts for half of the definition. The other half is to take delight. We are to delight in God and what he has done for us. Paul says he delights in the law of God (Romans 7:22).
Now, let’s define delight. It means a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment, joy, or rapture. We know that pleasure and joy feed directly into our rejoicing. But rapture? That’s a word we don’t use often. We associate it with the end of time or Jesus’ return. Yet, rapture is something we can experience now. We do so by delighting in God’s law, in Jesus’ commands, by following Jesus’s instructions. As we serve others and meditate on God’s Word, we can be filled with delight and rejoice every day. Give it try for a couple weeks. See if you don’t experience a different outlook on life and rejoice.
I pray we all understand what it means to rejoice. I pray we delight in God’s Word and his commands. I pray each one of us meditate on God’s Word and are filled with joy. Delight in God’s Word. Read God’s Word. Meditate on God’s Word. Be filled with joy. Rejoice in the Lord.
Philippians 4:4-5 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.
