Rejoice by choice

The word the Lord has given me in my meditations this morning is Philippians 4:4. "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice." The word rejoice means to delight in, to gladden yourself. To rejoice or not to rejoice is a choice we must personally make.

To rejoice in the Lord is not based on mere happiness or pleasantness of situations and circumstances. Sometimes they will be favorable, and sometimes they will not. There will be days when you feel as if you are on top of the world, and other days when it seems as if the world is crushing in on you.

Last week was an easy time for me to rejoice. My wife and I took a retreat and got away for a few days. It was a brief time, but provided us the rest and relaxation we needed. The cabin by the river provided the atmosphere, and the weather was perfect. What seemed as a problem turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The TV channel was only programmed for a few local stations. I am not sure if it was all that was offered, but suspect it was something in the remote that I could not figure out. There was no ESPN, which I tend to watch too much of. The TV was turned on very little. Reading from a newly purchased book, reading the bible, and spending quality time with my wife was just what I needed. We came home refreshed, and the service this past Sunday at the church I pastor was sweet! God moved in a tremendous way!

I love the highs, don't you? It is easy to rejoice in those times. But this week has provided opportunities that try my mind and my spirit. The weather has been yucky, with rain, rain, and more rain. My wife got sick, hardly able to get up. A couple of situations with some people at church bothered me and got under my skin. I was wanting to ride the high of last week. After all, momentum is our best friend. It is sometimes difficult to make, so you want to ride it as long as you can. As of yesterday, I felt my frustration level rising and my momentum level descending.

Thankfully, the Lord reminded me of this verse. It is in my spirit, and I want to encourage you with it, as it has encouraged me. The verse did not say to rejoice when all is well. It did not say to rejoice when you feel like it. It says to rejoice in the Lord always, at all times, in all situations.
To rejoice is a choice. To rejoice means to choose to take joy. That's the key. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

I am thankful for the reminders of the Lord. In addition to the verse, a song also came to my mind this morning. "When I think about the Lord, how he saved me, how he raised me, how he filled me with the Holy Ghost, how he healed me to the uttermost." Yes, I want to shout, "Halleluiah!"