Rejoice

And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you. – Deuteronomy 26.11

Rejoicing is a part of the lives of God’s people throughout history. Here Moses says to rejoice in all the good things God has done. The point is that God always does good and therefore we should always rejoice. That’s why Paul reminds is to rejoice in the Lord always.

So what gets in the way of rejoicing? What keep us from experiencing the joy that God has for us? Why is it so easy to rejoice in what we see as good and not rejoice when we perceive bad or evil?

I think it is a matter of focus, self-will, and pride, pure and simple. It is like little children who are only happy when they get their own way. If we don’t get what we want when we want it we can get sad and pouty and doubty.

We really ought to be more mature than that. If I REALLY believe that God is good and that He loves me and He does what is right then I take comfort in it and rejoice because everything He does is good.

Rejoice evermore.

Rejoice in the Lord always