The Conquest

Rejoice! Monday, January 10, 2011

Reading: Philippians 4:4, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

There are just mornings that you’re tired, you just don’t feel motivated, things are getting to you, getting you down, you feel frustrated and/or you just don’t feel fulfilled. This morning was one of those mornings for me and then I walked outside to go to work. As I looked up from my monotonous trance, I glanced and saw a guy that I see walking down the sidewalk at the exact same time at the exact same place almost every day. At first, I had the twinge of “I don’t want to say, HI, like I usually do” but, I looked up, smiled, waved and said, “Hi”. He had his usual big smile and waved back at me. You see, this man isn’t the typical man walking down the sidewalk. He is mentally challenged. But, there is not a single day that I have seen him in that exact same spot, walking down the sidewalk, that he didn’t have a huge smile on his face as he waved and said a very happy, “Hello”. God’s loving conviction overwhelmed me, “Why is it that I have blessed you with so much and, yet, this other man, who most people would not consider him to be as blessed, is able to always be happy? Nothing seems to change his happiness.”

Are there situations that give cause for sadness or mourning? Yes, most certainly. But, we are still able to “rejoice in the Lord always”. God would never ask something of us, as this verse does, without the ability to actually perform it. If you notice, the verse does not say, “rejoice in every situation that you find yourself in”. It clearly and purposefully says, “Rejoice in the Lord”. Which means, find your joy in the Lord. One of the beautiful attributes of God is, He is always the same. He is the same when blessings flood my way and He is the same when tragedy strikes my life. Therefore, we always have the ability, in everything, to rejoice, to find our joy, in Him. Don’t let anything steal your joy today!

What are some things that are keeping you from “rejoicing in the Lord” today?


What are some things that you can “rejoice in the Lord” about today?

REVIEW

How were you able to “rejoice in the Lord” today?


How did this impact your perception of the events in you day?