Rejoice always,
Truth to Learn
Christians should always be filled with joy.
Behind the Words
The Greek verb translated “rejoice,” is chairÅ, which literally means “to be calmly happy, to be glad, or to rejoice.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.
“Always” is from pantote, which we saw in yesterday’s verse. It means “all the time.”
Meaning Explained
Here’s a little nugget for all you trivia buffs. In the Greek text, this is the shortest verse in the New Testament. It is made up of only two words. John 11:35, which has the reputation of being the shortest verse in the Bible (Jesus wept), contains three words in the Greek text. Now, back to our study —
Back in verses twelve and thirteen, Paul instructed us on how we are to regard and respect our hard working pastors. Then he challenged us regarding how we are to deal with people in the church who cause division and how we are to comfort and support the timid and weak members of our church. In yesterday’s verse, he informed us that getting retaliation for bad things done to us is not what God wants us to do. Instead, we are to always pursue the performance of good deeds.
Now, for the next few verses Paul focuses on the attitudes and actions we need to give attention to in our personal lives. The first attitude he wants us to develop is that of a joyous outlook on life. He commands us to be joyful at all times. But what if I’m going through tough times and bad things are happening to me? you may ask. It is especially important in the midst of difficult circumstances to have an attitude of joy. Yes, it’s easy to get depressed and discouraged when bad things are happening to you; however, Paul is not making a suggestion here, he is giving us a command from God.
The key is to recognize that Paul is talking about spiritual joy, not just a fleshly, emotional happiness. As Christians we need to be constantly focused on what God has done for us and the promise He has given us. God is a holy, righteous God. He is totally sinless and because of His righteousness, He must judge sinners. When we realize how sinful we are and that the penalty for our sinfulness is eternal death and damnation, we begin to recognize how undeserving we are of God’s grace.
Bad things happen to us for three reasons:
- They are the consequences of our own sinfulness (God promises us forgiveness of our sin, not avoidance of its consequence).
- God allows them to happen to us in order to help us grow spiritually and become more Christ-like.
- They are a result of the sinful, ungodly world in which we live.
No matter what the source, however, we can be filled with joy because one day we will leave this sinful world and we will spend eternity in God’s presence. This is much better than the eternal fate that unbelievers face, whether they know it (or believe it) or not.
Application
In the midst of difficult circumstances we can be filled with joy, knowing that we are God’s children and we will spend eternity in His presence. Therefore, my friend, no matter what your circumstances are, learn to be filled with joy.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved