The words “joy” and “rejoice” appear nearly 400 times in Scripture. What is God teaching us? Certainly that joy is a major part of the Christian life. Paul even tells us to rejoice in the Lord always. Always? You’d have to admit that seems a bit unrealistic. I know a man, a beloved husband and father of four teenagers, who lost his battle with brain cancer recently. How is his family to find joy under such sorrow?
Paul gives us the key to experiencing joy even in sorrow. It is found “in the Lord,” not in our circumstances. Such deep losses in this world are overwhelming, but believers can find joy knowing that because of Jesus’ saving work, “Death is a butler that brings us into the presence of God” (Nathan White, 2012).
Do you desire to experience more joy in your life? I promise you, God has already put it there. Look for it in your work, in your families, in the world around you, even in your trials. This month discover some of the infinite reasons God has given us to always rejoice and be glad in Him.
Author: After serving for five years in the US Navy and graduating from Westminster Seminary in California, Jeremiah Rivera and his wife Melissa live in beautiful Aiken, South Carolina where he is an assistant pastor. Life in their home is full of giggles and hugs and clean-ups as they raise their four very young boys. If he ever could get the time, Jeremiah loves to take in a good movie with his wife. May you find as much joy in this Anchor as he found in the writing of it.