Rejoice in The Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near (Philippians 4:4,5).

Here is how Eugene Peterson says it in The Message:  “Celebrate God all day, every day.  I mean, revel in him!”

Two things:  First, Paul is reminding us exactly how we should live.  Living in joy/rejoicing is good for our health, for our spirits, for our emotions.  It’s just really good for us!

Second, if I’m honest (and I’ve always tried to be with you), I’ve had some days that were so bad that if anyone tried to tell me what Paul is saying here I would have thrown something at them or told them to be quiet!!  You’ve no doubt had those days, too, which is why we love the Psalms, which give us permission to do the opposite of rejoicing – when we need to, when life is crashing in, falling apart:  “How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever!!  Out of the depths I’ve called to you.”  There are just some days that we are in no mood to rejoice.  That doesn’t negate the truth of Paul’s command, it’s just a reminder that we need the whole Bible, otherwise we try to appear other than we are.

 Having said that, it’s also true that we can sometimes “talk ourselves into” a new and better reality.  And so, rejoicing, even when we might not feel like it is a very good thing.

I hope your day begins (or began) with you rejoicing in God.  If the chemo is making you miserable or the credit card is overdrawn and overdo, if the people around you have been mean, then that may be hard to do, so go ahead and tell God how you really feel, and then look for little ways all through your day as to how you can rejoice, and see if maybe, just maybe, your joy grows.  

 Love and prayers,

Cliff

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