Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4
Robbo shares his reflections on this verse…
Recently I preached on ‘Praise from the Prison’. Here is a bit of my message – which was adapted from a devotional I had read by Craig Groeschel…
Paul was in prison a number of times during his ministry years. One of those times was when he wrote the Epistle to the Philippians. And what does Paul write to his friends in Philippi? “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Then he sounds like your mum because he repeats himself, just in case you weren’t listening. “I will say it again: Rejoice!” This is a great verse for a coffee mug with a pretty cursive font: “Rejoice in the Lord always!” It’s perfect for a fridge magnet. Put it on a greeting card? Of course! It makes you sound spiritual if you tell your friends, “Rejoice in the Lord always!” But, let’s be honest: How does it make you feel when someone tells you to rejoice in the Lord? Many people are happy to share the encouragement with others, but when the shoe’s on the other foot, they hate it when people quote that verse to them.
Imagine:
- If you’re in the middle of a difficult situation at work and your wife says “you just need to rejoice in the Lord always!” …how are you feeling?!
- You have a flat tire and it’s 42 degrees in the shade… and the car’s not parked in the shade! “…you just need to rejoice in the Lord always!”
- You just found out you need to have a tooth extracted, or your kid is sick or an unexpected bill has just arrived in the mail.
It’s at those times when we DO need to “rejoice in the Lord always!” …even when we don’t feel like it.
