Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;

    sing, all you who are upright in heart!

The blessing of joy

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!’ Philippians 4:4;

“Rejoice always…” 1 Thessalonians 5:16.

This is not primarily about our emotions. We might be feeling good; we might be feeling bad. Thisis a choice, a decision. It’s something we are called to do/commanded to do.

One thing that can help us with this is song. Singing should not be reserved for church services only, but what about its place in our personal lives? One church minister wrote that every week he chose a hymn of the week, and he would sing it every day (or read it as a prayer).

You will note that the call is to “Rejoice in the LORD.” Our rejoicing is in Him: Who He is and what He’s done. Feelings change; circumstances change; but He never changes. He is always the same.

“Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous”: i.e. you who are in a right relationship with God. The greatest reason for rejoicing, every moment of every day, is to know that we are forgiven through faith in the crucified Jesus.

“God buries our sins in the deepest sea, and puts up a big sign: ‘No fishing!’ “