Rejoice in the Lord!

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

Philippians , the most joyful book in the Bible was written by Apostle Paul . It is believed that he wrote this at the time when he was chained to a Roman guard , was in a depressing state of imprisonment and must have been in a near death situation when , a deranged cruel ruler by the name of Nero , was tossing Christians to lions and burning them because of their faith. How can a man devote a letter to a topic of joy while his survival was in serious jeopardy?

Paul gives us the answer in Philippians 2:5-11. Jesus Christ! Yes , we can only have joy in the midst of trials and persecutions when we have the same attitude as that of Christ. Jesus Christ is the reason why , we can smile and have pure joy in the face of problems and sufferings. Rejoice says Paul , even when someone tell lies about you. Rejoice says Paul , even when circumstances seem not to favor you. Rejoice , says Paul , even when life's needs overwhelm you. Rejoice , says Paul , even when life's struggles and pain seem to overtake you. Jesus and His victory at the Cross proves to us that nothing can take away our joy. If our joy is "in the Lord" , the assurance is that , it will stay forever. Simply put , as long as there is Jesus in our hearts , the promise of joy will never be stolen away. It is as sure as Jesus rising from the dead, conquering all pain , sadness and death.

Today , "joy" seems to be word associated with sensation , feeling or "thrill". Like some other words , it seems to have been drained of its real meaning. People seem to find it in - money , fashion , movies , music , parties , alcohol , sex and relationships. All these are what the world offers. But , the truth is , all of these give temporary feelings of happiness and excitement. At the end of it all , it is Jesus Christ alone who can give us pure , unadulterated joy! John 14:27 says , "Peace (joy) , I leave with you , my peace (joy) , I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

So , we might be in a situation right now. We might be thinking , we've been robbed of our joy. We can't seem to smile. We can't seem to enjoy life...

Rejoice in the Lord! God's word says , we can always afford to rejoice in the Lord!

Hallelujah! Glory to God!