New Beginnings—Day 5: Rejoice!

“Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.” (Philippians 3:1)

In the New Testament book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul is driving home an important point—one that he has made before and will make again in the very same letter; namely, that we are to “rejoice in the Lord!" Paul himself acknowledges that he is repeating himself in giving this command in order to underscore its importance: the fact that “it is a safeguard” for the believers. We see here that finding new truth is not as important as repeating, bringing to remembrance and putting into practice the things we already know. This is essential in all spiritual matters and specifically in the matter of rejoicing at all times.

Notice that Paul doesn’t tell the Philippians to just “rejoice.” Instead, he qualifies it by saying, “Rejoice in the Lord.” What does this mean? It means that we don’t have to let circumstances pull us down. In life, we have ups and downs, but we can always rejoice in the Lord. We can take joy in remembering that our sins are gone, that we have a loving Lord and Savior who has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, that we have a living hope and eternal life because of his love and his sacrifice for us on the cross.

Of course, we have moments of difficulty and tears, but those moments should not define us. In fact, a complaining and depressed Christian is an oxymoron, for joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. We have to get our mind off things that pull us down and start praising the Lord and rejoicing in his love for us. If not, life will pull us every which way, and we will become unduly burdened by our children, our homes, our jobs, and all the rest of it. Soon we will lose our joy and our witness for Christ.

It doesn’t have to be this way, brothers and sisters. That’s why Paul says to us, “I will say it again: Rejoice!” What wonderful words for us to keep in mind at the beginning of a new season in life!