"I Say It Again Rejoice!"

We live in a negative world. A world that seems to be obsessed with bad news, a world that is filled with heartaches and a world where hurting people hurt each other.  So many people are simply angry at something; and they don’t even know why. Just this afternoon, I read that the man who tried to kill law officers died in a cabin about 100 miles from the city he once swore to serve. So much anger. So much pain. So much wasted life! How do we respond to this? What shall we do? 

In many ways, it’s hard to live with hope in this world. Are you familiar with Murphy’s Law? Murphy’s Law says, “If anything can go wrong, it will.” “If you wash your car on Saturday morning, then it will rain that afternoon.” “The other checkout line always moves faster.” “When things are going well, something will go wrong... just wait.” “When things can’t get any worse... they will.”

Why do we entertain these thoughts? We are called to live in the world but not be conformed to the ways of the world.

Paul made it clear that he was not impressed with this world. His citizenship was in heaven. Everything this world offered was nothing compared to life with Christ. In the hardest and darkest time Paul found hope and strength in his faith in the Jesus he met with each day!

If anyone had reasons to complain or ask for people to join in a pity party, surely Paul would be the one with the most reasons. Paul could stand up and declare his problems that would qualify him.

After his conversion on the way to Damascus, the Jerusalem Church continued to fear and shun him. Saul renamed Paul was a terrorist and not a Christian. They believed that God was merciful, but to a well known terrorist, no way!

Paul was put in prison in Philippi for preaching and casting out demon from a young girl that Satan had given an ability to tell the future. [Acts 16]

In Jerusalem Paul was falsely accused of desecrating the temple and was arrested and put on trial and eventually ended up in Rome under house arrest.

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 Paul gives a list of hardships he faced during his short life:

o in prison many times

o beaten severely with whips and rods

o exposed to death time and time again

o stoned with rocks

o shipwrecked and spent a night and day in the open sea

o in danger from both Jews and Gentiles

o gone without sleep

o gone without food and water

o lived everyday of his life in danger

How is your life? How is your day? Is it any worse than this?

Yet with all his hardships, the theme of Paul’s writing from the Philippian jail was “JOY!” Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always, I say it again, Rejoice!” Don’t let the devil have the best of you. Rejoice because the Lord is at work in your life! Don’t fear the troubles in life, be afraid when nothing happens at all!

J.I. Packer said, "We should not be upset when unexpected and upsetting and discouraging things happen. God in his wisdom means to make something of us which we have not yet attained and is dealing with us accordingly.

Let me end with one of my favorite Psalms - 

“I look up to the mountains -- does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord Himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go both now and forever!” ~ Psalm 121

Amen!