There is tragedy all around us. The local news is fraught daily with bad reports. Death and drugs seem to be in the headlines regularly. Then, there are the problems of life that plague us all—financial woes, sickness, family issues, etc. No wonder Job once bemoaned, “Man who is born of woman is few of days, and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). His statement has been proven true over the years. Heartache and disappointment invade all of our lives from time to time.
Do we have to live our lives in despair? No, not if we are Christians. There is a place where the burdens of life can be overcome—in the Lord. The blessings of being in the Lord are too many for us to wallow in self-pity and misery. We must rejoice, not sparingly, but regularly. Listen to Paul.
Philippians 4:4 (ESV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
We can rejoice because we know that we have something waiting for us far greater than anything this world has to offer, and to which the sufferings of this life cannot compare.
Romans 8:18 (ESV)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
The glory that Paul is talking about in this context is the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23). We may not know all the details about these redeemed bodies, but we know they will be like the glorious body of our Savior (Philippians 3:21). No matter what we have to go through in this life, in the life to come, we will be in a beautiful place where there will be no sin (Revelation 21:27), where we will see God face to face (Revelation 22:4), and where we will live eternally in a glorified body that will be free from sorrow and pain (Revelations 21:1-4).
We can rejoice right now because of our relationship with God. To be in fellowship with God is a blessing that should bring us joy every day. When John spoke of this fellowship, he said, “And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.” To be in fellowship with God is to have access to His throne whenever we need it (Hebrews 4:16). Yes, there is trouble in this life, but we have an omnipotent Father to help us through all the difficulties of life.
To be in fellowship with God is to have access to His providential care (Matthew 6:33). We never have to be anxious about life because God is always at hand (Philippians 4:6).
Most importantly, to be in fellowship with God is to have the benefit of our Savior’s cleansing blood (1 John 1:7). It is this truth that allows us to maintain a strong hope of heaven even though we are imperfect beings. David called this being blessed, and Paul concurred (Romans 4:6-8).
We have so much to be thankful for as Christians that rejoicing really should not be that difficult. When we think about what Christ has done for us (Philippians 2:6-8), what we have in Christ (Ephesians 1:3; Romans 8:1), what we will avoid in Christ (Matthew 25:46; Revelations 14:9-11), and about the special privileges we have in Christ (prayer, fellowship with God and with one another, the Lord’s supper, opportunities to worship God, etc.), we should rejoice, and we should do so always. If a Christian is not rejoicing in the Lord, it is because he has taken his eye off the goal.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.