"Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say, Rejoice!"
Did you know that you can have joy worshipping the Lord no matter what situation you find yourself in? Do you believe that God is more satisfying than your most satisfying experience? Do you believe that God can sustain you in the worst situations you will ever go through?
There is joy is the Lord. There is joy in who He is. There is joy in what He has done for you. There is joy in what He is going to do through you. There is joy in Him when you are in the highest of highs. There is joy in Him in the lowest of lows.
Our culture tells us that we should be satisfied in the good times only, and any other less than satisfactory time should be combatted until we are satisfied with what we want. I tell you this, brothers and sisters, God does not want us to be satisfied in Him during our mountain peak experiences only. He wants us to be satisfied no matter what peak, valley, or pit we are in. He wants us to realize that He is our satisfaction. He wants us to combat our destructive, selfish, joy-stealing ways to be joyously satisfied in Him for the glory of His name.
Paul's life was made a living hell by people who opposed the Gospel, yet he still spoke "To live is Christ; and to die is gain." He was shackled in prison and still sang hymns to God. He was ridiculed when preaching the Gospel, but he unashamedly preached on. His health was poor, but his desire was to still visit the churches surrounding him to minister to them. He wrote "Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say, Rejoice!" Are you grasping this, brother? Are you seeing this, sister? Our situations don't determine the joy we have in God. God determines the joy we have in spite of our situations.
When you live your life day-to-day, you can worship the Lord with joy knowing that the joy of the Lord is your strength. He is your strength because all things work together for the good of those who love God and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8). Is this not a joyful proclamation? He is your peace because while we were still sinners God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Romans 5, 2 Corinthians 5). How can you not be joyful knowing God paid for your sins? You can be comforted because He cares for you so much that He invites you to cast all of your cares on Him (1 Peter5). Isn't this wonderful? Amazing? Worthy of being joyful?
Our God is a personal God that wants us to have the utmost satisfaction in life. He wants us to have joy. This satisfaction is not the satisfaction this world promotes. It's not the gratification of the flesh that the world wants you to have. Our God made us to worship Him. He is the ultimate joy!
We have talked about how worship comes from knowledge. So I ask you, have you been learning about our God? Have you been seeking His face in the Word? Have you been praying? How can we expect to have joy in the Lord if we keep Him at bay as a mere acquaintance? It's impossible!
The poor excuses of fun and promises of joy from the world are lies and will fade away. They can't sustain the level of joy you were meant to have. They are false fillers that leave you empty and wanting. Christian, find your satisfaction in the Lord. Find your joy in worshipping Him. Your cell phone, video games, and movies are not to replace the joy you have in the Lord. Your drugs, alcohol, and sex are destructive to your joy in the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, I implore you! Repent and be restored to the joy of the Lord! Run to the mercy of your God at the cross. Seek His joy! Seek satisfaction in Him! Quit playing with the "joy" of sin. Quit messing around with the false pleasures of this world! Seek the everlasting joy and peace of the Lord no matter what situation you might be in. Worship your God today with joy in your thoughts, words, and actions!
Blessings,
Nick
