OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-MONDAY-15/02/2016-COMMANDED
TO REJOICE -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
Memorise
For I know the
thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord,
Thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected.
Jeremiah 29:11
Read
Philippians 4:1-7
1 Therefore, my brethren
dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my
dearly beloved.
2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that
they be of the same mind in the Lord.
3 And I in treat thee also, true yokefellow,
help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and
with other my fellow labourers, whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say,
Rejoice.
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The
Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto
God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
KJV
MESSAGE
The commandment to rejoice seems to be a
repeated theme in the book of Philippians. First, Philippians 2:18, then 3:1,
and 4:4. Why did Paul pay so much attention to the word rejoice? On a closer
look at all, rather, Paul’s emphasis is on the term “rejoice in the Lord”. He
was trying to draw a line between the common rejoicing that happens to all
human beings and the art of rejoicing in the Lord. God wants us to know that
joy is a matter of realm, because there are diverse types of joy and it is the
realm of joy that makes the difference.
There is a rejoicing that is common to all men, it is
a feeling of joy that depends on situations and
circumstances around us and it is temporal and short-lived: this joy is
unsubstantial and evanescent. However, there is a delight that comes with God’s
presence, it is divine and powerful; the joy of the Lord. This joy is also
called the ‘joy of salvation’, it is real, it is a great kind of joy, it is
endless, and an everlasting joy that brings down the presence of God into the
hearts of men. Apostle Peter had this to say about this kind of rejoicing in 1st
Peter 1:8:
“Whom having not
seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”
What makes rejoicing in the Lord so important that God
had to repeatedly command us to rejoice? It is the very first miracle that
happens to a person when he becomes born again. The joy of the Lord is
immediately shed in the heart of the fellow. The unspeakable expression of the
joy of salvation is therefore the most vital and undeniable proof that a person
is genuinely born of God. The wisdom of God commanded it repeatedly in the
Bible, and emphasised it in Philippians at least for two major reasons. First,
being born again is a spiritual walk with God, the joy of the Lord is the token
of our connectedness to God, losing the joy therefore, is another token of
disconnection from God. You will never be disconnected from God in Jesus’ name.
Secondly, God knows that a genuine conversion to Christianity would cause a
forceful separation and disconnection from the worldly system of thought and
action, which naturally leads to rejection, persecution, and diverse
temptations. Therefore, the joy of the Lord is provided as an offensive weapon
of consolation, encouragement, and strength in the face of persecution. That is
why Philippians 4:4 says;
“Rejoice in the Lord
always: and again I say, Rejoice.”
God commanded His people to rejoice, He was
not giving a suggestion or permission, neither did He make it a matter of
choice. We are compelled to rejoice in the Lord as a necessary ingredient to
the Christian faith. Rejoicing is founded on and derived through the Word of
God, it is needful in affliction, it brings comfort and strength to press
forward in times of trouble.
Prayer Point
Father, please fill my heart with your
heavenly joy, that is all I need from you today.
Bible in one year
Luke 2:22-4:15, Job 22: 1-11
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