Sometimes, when I remember the nearness of Jesus, He infuses me with the courage to handle these troubles. Other times, I get lost in the details and negative situations. I think it comes down to my perspective. When I can gain an eternal view, even during hard times, my outlook is different.<\/p>\n
Right now, my heart is heavy, and I need God\u2019s truth.<\/p>\n
Turning to the Bible, I read a verse that if someone said it to me right now, I\u2019d take it as a trite answer and consider them very insensitive.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s I<\/span><\/strong> Thess<\/span>alonians 5:16 –<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cRejoice Evermore.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Rejoice<\/strong> Evermore<\/strong>! This unconditional command seems impossible. With all that\u2019s going on, rejoicing is the last thing I want to do. But, since God said it, I\u2019ll take this as an invitation to dig deeper, asking Him to show me how this is possible.<\/p>\n Lord, how is it possible to rejoice evermore?<\/em><\/p>\n Before digging into the verse more fully, I have to pause and admit my inability to obey any of God’s commands in my strength. After years of trying to be like Jesus without Jesus, I’m fully convinced the Christian life requires<\/em><\/strong> an abiding dependence upon the indwelling Holy Spirit of Jesus to fully follow Him.<\/p>\n Abiding is not just a delightful idea, it’s the essence of the Christian life. Paul summed it up beautifully in Galatians 2:20-21:<\/strong>\u00a0 “<\/sup>I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life\u00a0which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in\u00a0the Son of God, who\u00a0loved me and\u00a0gave Himself up for me.<\/span> \u00a0<\/sup>I do not nullify the grace of God, for\u00a0if righteousness\u00a0comes\u00a0through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Our life now is a life of dying to self and yielding to the indwelling Holy Spirit. Christ gave Himself up for me and, if I revert to living independently, I’m nullifying His death for me.<\/p>\n Living a life of self-fueled “obedience” leads to burnout and deeper sin. “It’s all up to me”<\/em> is a lie from the pit of hell. It’s prideful and sinful.<\/p>\n Learning what it means to rejoice evermore doesn’t differ from any other command. Yielding to the Holy Spirit within me is the only way to obey it.<\/p>\n When Paul tells us to rejoice<\/strong>, he uses the Greek word \u201cchairo,<\/strong>\u201d which means to be cheerful, calmly happy, or well off, to be glad. The word \u201cchairo\u201d originates from the root word \u201ccharis,\u201d which means grace or unmerited spiritual blessings granted to those who trust in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n The Greek words for \u201crejoice\u201d and \u201cgrace\u201d share a close connection. Feeling joyful is a common response to receiving and experiencing God\u2019s grace. One of the fundamental aspects of joy involves having faith and seeking peace in Christ\u2019s righteousness, rather than focusing on my own achievements.<\/p>\n \u201cEvermore\u201d<\/strong> originates from the Greek term \u201cpantoteh,\u201d signifying always, or at all times. I\u2019m to remain glad all the time because of the spiritual blessings God has freely given me. All times!<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m\u00a0always<\/strong> living in a physical world, with actual trials, problems, and heartaches. So, if I am to make this command to \u201crejoice always\u201d a legitimate part of my life, I can\u2019t forget certain spiritual truths based on the \u201cgrace\u201d or unmerited favor given to me.<\/p>\n Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.\u00a0 (Ephesians 1:3-8a<\/strong> NASB). <\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rejoicing in God\u2019s grace, shown to me in His love and sacrifice for my sins, sustains me and gives me courage.<\/p>\n \u00a0Before the world began, God Almighty chose to love me as His child. The cruel death of His Son Jesus, the Messiah, secured my eternal relationship with Him, my new Father. This was all done for the praise of God\u2019s grace. He lavished His grace upon me, abounding and overflowing, manifested in the shedding of Jesus\u2019 life blood.<\/p>\n This is how I rejoice evermore. Regardless of what I\u2019m going through, the root of joy is God\u2019s grace, expressed in His love. It happened before the world began, so nothing can change His grace for me today.<\/p>\n God\u2019s grace gives me a peace which is greater than any circumstance I can face, including the very hard difficulties I face today.<\/p>\n Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by\u00a0prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.\u00a07\u00a0And the peace of God, which surpasses all\u00a0comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7<\/strong> NASB).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n In my opinion whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has planned for us (Romans 8:18<\/strong> J.B. Phillips Translation).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n What is your current weariness? Can you name it? Or perhaps you’re in a season free of troubles. These are rare. Be extremely thankful.<\/p>\n For the rest of us, sink into the deep connection between God’s grace and our full joy.\u00a0People never earn God\u2019s grace, and it doesn\u2019t change with each passing circumstance or human choice.<\/p>\n Ours is to choose His grace for our life, both now and forever.<\/p>\n With grace, as an unbelievably interlinked component of the same root word, there\u2019s rejoicing.<\/p>\n 28\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cCome to me,\u00a0all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.<\/span><\/span>\u00a029\u00a0<\/sup>Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,\u00a0for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.<\/span><\/span>\u00a030\u00a0<\/sup>For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30<\/strong> NIV).<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Come. With all that burdens your heart, come and stay with Jesus. It\u2019s what He wants.<\/p>\n With Him, we have grace and full joy, which results in true rest for our souls.<\/p>\n Despite the ongoing hard times and unresolved problems, I find joy in You, Lord, as Your word has given me courage. Please help me take each care and concern and cast them upon You because You care for me. <\/em><\/p>\n Please help me to stop striving to make everything \u201cokay\u201d in my world. Your nearness is my good. My hope and stability are in You. I rejoice in the grace You showed me before I was even born. And I know nothing can change that.<\/em><\/p>\n In You, and in Your love and grace, I rejoice evermore.<\/em><\/p>\n Amen<\/em><\/p>\n Other posts in our series<\/span> In the Moments<\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n As Sea Gulls Fly<\/a><\/p>\n The Gift of Presence<\/a><\/p>\n It is Finished<\/a><\/p>\n Behold the Moments<\/a><\/p>\n Tranquility<\/a><\/p>\n Stop Striving<\/a><\/p>\n Simplicity In Christ<\/a><\/p>\n What is Good<\/a><\/p>\n Yet Will I Rejoice<\/a><\/p>\n Sorrowful, Yet Always Rejoicing<\/a><\/p>\n Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God\u2019s nearness in the midst of life\u2019s adventures.<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Subscribe to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em> Nonfiction books by the Author:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn\u2019t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God\u2019s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.<\/p>\n For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It\u2019s not just a good idea, it\u2019s vital to our journey as human beings.\u00a0Rhythms of Joy<\/a><\/p>\n Novels by the Author:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?\u00a0\u00a0Beyond Time<\/a><\/p>\n By finding two undelivered letters in an old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains<\/a><\/p>\nTo Obey God Requires Abiding Dependence Upon the Holy Spirit<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What Does it Mean to Rejoice Evermore?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Rejoicing in God’s Grace<\/strong><\/h3>\n
In God\u2019s Grace, I Rejoice Evermore.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Challenge<\/h3>\n
Prayer<\/h3>\n
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