Rejoice Always!

Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:16, Psalms 43:4-5, Genesis 15:1, Psalms 3:1-3, John 14:17-18, 1 Corinthians 6:19

Day 1: Rejoice Always — No Matter What! 

It’s easy to rejoice when everything is going well, but it takes faith to rejoice when times are hard. First Thessalonians 5:16 tells us to “rejoice always,” but what exactly does that mean? The Bible gives us many wonderful reasons to rejoice — and one major reason is that God lives inside us. Whether you’re facing difficulties today or not — you can choose to rejoice!

Why Should We Rejoice?

Considering the difficult times we’re living in, it might seem impossible to always rejoice. Even when we find ourselves in trying situations, what reasons do we have to rejoice? Look at Psalm 43:4 as an example. It says:

Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.

The psalmist called God his “exceeding joy.” Is God your exceeding joy? If not, read this passage again and let this truth sink into your heart. God is your exceeding joy.

Verse 5 continues:

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

This is so powerful! Life will often bring many opportunities for you to be discouraged, negative, or disengaged, but this verse declares that God is the help of your countenance. Let’s take a closer look at what that means.

Whatever emotions you’re feeling will likely show on your face. But the truth found in Psalm 43:4 is that God is the help of your countenance. If you are downcast, God will help you. He will help you show His joy on your face because according to His Word, He is the help of your countenance, and you can depend on Him!

Four Reasons To Rejoice

Why should you “rejoice always?” As mentioned above, you can rejoice because God is the help of your countenance and your exceeding joy. Let’s look at two more reasons the Bible gives us to rejoice.

In Genesis 15:1, God says to Abraham, “…I am your shield, and I am your great reward.” How amazing is that? God is not only your exceeding joy and the help of your countenance, but He is also your shield and great reward. What a wonderful God we serve!

God isn’t just a God who stays far away — He lives inside you. When you were born again, His spirit came to live in you, and therefore, He will always be with you. That means your exceeding joy literally lives in you, the help of your countenance lives inyou, and your shield and great reward live in you! And if God and all His goodness live inside you, you can’t separate yourself from Him.

When hard times come, we have to acknowledge His goodness that is in us by Christ Jesus and rejoice about it. We must use our faith and say, “I have my exceeding joy, my shield, and my great reward inside me. And because God is in me, I will rejoice!”

Rejoicing in Difficult Times

Every one of us will encounter difficult people in life — those who mock, criticize, and try to intimidate us. But the Greater One — the glory and lifter of your head — lives inside you (see Psalm 3:3). And that is why you can rejoice just like First Thessalonians 5:16 tells you to.

Denise made this powerful statement in one of her programs: “I’m convinced that in these last days, we’re going to have to use our faith more and rejoice more — even in difficult situations.” There might be moments when the people around you are struggling to remain in a place of joy, but it’s important that you choose to rejoice and continue to trust in God.

This is the kind of attitude we all need to have. We must decide to have an attitude of rejoicing that says, “I am going to keep rejoicing no matter what. My God is my shield, my God is the lifter of my head, and my God ismy glory, so I’m not giving up!”

Questions to Consider:

1. What role does joy have in your daily life? Is “rejoicing always” something that comes easily to you?
2. Has there been a time in your life when you faced something difficult and didn’t want to rejoice? What was it like for you, and what helped you through that tough time?
3. What is a characteristic of God you’re grateful for? Take a moment to write this down, pray, and thank God for this attribute of His character.

Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:16, Psalms 118:24, Philippians 4:4-5, Proverbs 16:32

Day 2: Discover the Joy Within You 

Choosing to rejoice over allowing sorrow to rule your day has such a powerful impact on your life. It has the ability to change your attitude, the way you treat others, and even the way you see the world! No matter what you’re facing today, you can still choose joy!

The Power of Rejoicing

Joy is such a powerful thing! When you do what First Thessalonians 5:16 and Psalm 118:24 tell you to do has the power to transform your life. The Bible even says in Nehemiah 8:10 that the joy of the Lord is your strength, which means when you choose joy, you are also choosing strength.

We find another incredible example of choosing joy in Philippians 4:4, which says:

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

When he wrote this, the apostle Paul was trapped in a horrible prison. It was dark and damp, and death was all around him. Many scholars believe that he was chained up and standing in sewage, and there were likely pests and rodents crawling around everywhere. It was such a horrible place, it’s almost difficult to imagine! And in that prison, Paul wrote this letter to the Philippian church and mentioned the words “joy,” “rejoicing,” and “joyful” 19 times — in a mere four chapters, Paul spoke about joy 19 times!

It’s also interesting that Paul was able to write this while he was enduring the terrible conditions of that prison. But in the middle of this enormous obstacle, Paul told the believers in Philippi, “If I can rejoice, you can rejoice too!”

How many people around you are depressed and without hope? If you act just like them, you won’t be able to give them hope. But if you choose to have a joyful attitude, you can help those who are discouraged. Maybe you can pray for them, share a joke to lift their spirits, or simply flash them a smile. Whatever you do, you’re giving something out of your spirit and your heart. You’re giving them something they don’t have — something they desperately need: your joy!

People desperately need your joy. They need your encouragement. Most of us love being around people who are happy and joyful. Why? Because joyful people encourage us. Usually, a person who is happy or joyful lifts up the atmosphere of the room — and that power is in you! You have the fruit of the Holy Spirit inside you called joy, and it is powerful to change the atmosphere around you (see Galatians 5:22).

Gentleness Brings Joy

How do you choose to rejoice? Philippians 4:5 says:

Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Gentleness helps us be joyful. The word “gentleness” pictures humility, patience, and steadfastness. It describes the attitude of someone who is able to submit to injustice, disgrace, and maltreatment without hatred and without malice.

In life, there will always be things we can’t control. For instance, you may encounter a person who is rude, unkind, or unjust. Instead of hating that person or being intimidated, by practicing gentleness, the power of the Holy Spirit inside you can help you get through your situation without hatred and without malice, trusting God in spite of it all. Now that is the mark of a powerful person!

How To Be a Powerful Person

People often think that holding on to an attitude of hate, resentment, judgment, or criticism projects power, or that they can protect themselves with their bad attitudes. Forgiveness and rejoicing are far more powerful than hatred. We see this same principle in Proverbs 16:32:

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

According to this verse, if you’re slow to anger, if you’re forgiving, if you choose to control your emotions, and if you choose to rejoice, you are better than the mighty. This is God’s opinion: Not only are we better than the mighty, but if we choose to rule our own spirit and control our emotions, we will be stronger and more powerful than a person who conquers a city!

Questions to Consider:

1. Proverbs 16:32 tells us that a truly powerful person is someone who is slow to anger and able to keep his or her emotions in check. Does this describe you? Take a moment to reflect on your answer.
2. Why was it so significant that Paul told the Philippian church to rejoice? How does this example of “rejoicing always” inspire you?

Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:16, Philippians 1:16, Philippians 1:18, Habakkuk 3:17-19, Philippians 1:25, Philippians 4:4, John 16:22

Day 3: The Joy of the Lord Belongs to You!

Joy isn’t a feeling — it’s a decision that affects every area of your life. When you choose to rejoice, you’re agreeing with God’s Spirit inside you, and you receive the full confidence and strength of the Lord. When you’re facing troubling times, you never have to wait for permission to be joyful! Simply choose to rejoice and watch your circumstances begin to change.

Rejoice on Purpose!

We have been studying two small but powerful words from First Thessalonians 5:16: “Rejoice always.” As we have studied this verse throughout these devotions, we’ve clearly seen that rejoicing doesn’t always have to do with our emotions or circumstances — it has to do with making a choice to rejoice on purpose.

When you first came to the Lord, it may have seemed like the road of life was wide and filled with many acceptable options. But you’ll find the longer you walk with God, the narrower the road becomes because He wants to get closer to you. He wants to be more involved in your choices, and He wants to show up in your everyday life because He loves you. He loves you so much that He gave you His Spirit to help you make choices that lead to a joy-filled life. And one of the most life-transforming choices you can make is the choice to rejoice. The joy of the Lord is powerful, and His love for you is so great!

Is Joy a Feeling or a Decision?

You may be wondering, Is joy a feeling, or is joy a decision? Joy is a decision, but we get to feel it emotionally too. And that’s a wonderful thing! Most people I can assume like to feel joy, but there are times when we have to make a decision to rejoice before we actually feel it.

In the last devotion, we saw that the apostle Paul wrote to the church of Philippi about the importance of rejoicing even though he himself was in a horrible prison. His situation did not give him a reason to rejoice, but Paul still chose to be joyful and even urged the church to do the same! While in prison, Paul also found out that people were preaching the Gospel with ulterior motives — preaching out of envy, strife, and selfish ambition. Even while Paul was suffering in that filthy prison for preaching the Gospel in truth, he wrote this in Philippians 1:18:

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

It didn’t matter what kind of news came Paul’s way — he was going to rejoice! It didn’t mean that he agreed with the behavior, but he decided that even though the Gospel was being preached for the wrong reasons, Christ was still being preached and that was reason enough to rejoice.

Sometimes it takes faith to rejoice, just like sometimes it takes faith to show love or be patient. The good news is, if you’re born again, all these characteristics are already inside you because the Holy Spirit lives within you! The Bible says that the Holy Spirit characterizes Himself inside you through love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22,23). The fruit of God’s Spirit in you is joy, so all you need to do to rejoice is simply get into alignment with Him and the results will come.

Choose To Rejoice Anyway

In Habakkuk 3:17-19, we find an amazing situation in which the prophet Habakkuk faced great difficulty but chose to rejoice anyway.

Habakkuk was in a terrible situation. There was no fruit on the vines, no olives, no crops in the field, and no livestock. There was no provision of any kind — nothing to eat or drink — but even in the midst of this, Habakkuk chose to say, “…I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18).

You may think, How could Habakkuk rejoice in the Lord while dealing with such dismal circumstances? It wasn’t a feeling for him — it was a decision. He rejoiced in the Lord, and it gave him strength. Rejoicing made Habakkuk like the mountain goats who scale the sides of mountains. They have so few places to stand, but they don’t freak out or lose their nerve. They aren’t in fear or panic — but they continue to climb with confidence.

That’s what the joy of the Lord does when we choose to rejoice. It gives us confidence and strength because we’re using what God placed inside us to put on display and give it to others.

Questions to Consider:

1. At the beginning of this devotional, Denise Renner asked the question, “Is joy a feeling or a decision?” What was her answer? Do you agree or disagree with this?
2. Denise gave two examples of people who decided to rejoice before their circumstances changed. What can we learn from Paul’s example in Philippians 1:16-18? What can we learn from Habakkuk’s example in Habakkuk 3:17-19?

Scriptures: Philippians 1:25, Nehemiah 8:10, Philippians 4:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:16, John 16:22, Acts 20:24, Psalms 2:4, Proverbs 17:22

Day 4: Your Joy and Strength Go Hand-in-Hand

The world will give you a number of reasons you shouldn’t rejoice, but the truth is that rejoicing is powerful. The apostle Paul’s example confirms that choosing to rejoice can affect your entire situation, and he encouraged the Philippine church to rejoice because he knew rejoicing would make them strong. If you want to experience the strength and power of God, choose to rejoice regardless of what’s going on in your situation.

You may be wondering, So what do I rejoice about? On Day 1, we learned about several different characteristics of God that we can rejoice about. We’re going to revisit the book of Philippians and discover even more reasons we can rejoice.

Rejoice When You Pray

In Philippians 1, the apostle Paul was writing to the church in Philippi while being held in a terrible prison. He was locked in chains and lived in deplorable conditions. Although he was in this seemingly impossible situation, Paul chose to keep going while encouraging his fellow believers, mentioning the words “joy” and “rejoicing” 19 times in this letter. The first instance is in verse 4, which says:

Always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy.

— Philippians 1:4

When Paul prayed for this church, he prayed for them with joy. He didn’t pray for the church because he felt depressed or burdened, but he prayed for them from a place of joy. His example should instruct the way we pray too. When we pray for our loved ones — or anyone for that matter — we should pray with joy just as Paul prayed for the church in Philippi. Using your faith and joy as you pray is so powerful, and that’s exactly what Paul was doing as he determined to pray in that terrible prison.

Rejoice Even When Things Are Not Perfect

In Philippians 1:18, we see another important decision Paul made about choosing to rejoice instead of giving into worry and strife. He heard that people were preaching the Gospel from envy and strife, and while it hurt him to hear this news, Paul made a choice to rejoice in the fact that the Gospel was still being preached. Paul chose to rejoice despite what people were doing. When the situation didn’t change right away, he nonetheless made the decision to rejoice over and over again.

Is there a situation in your life you need to re-evaluate? Maybe the circumstances aren’t perfect, but there is something good being done nevertheless. Think about something you can rejoice about. Choose to rejoice because the joy of the Lord will give you strength, and His joy and laughter act like a healing medicine inside you.

Rejoice When People Are United

Philippians 2:2 tells us about yet another way we can rejoice. It says:

Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one reward, of one mind.

When Paul wrote this to the Philippian believers, he was urging them to be like-minded, to have the same love for one another, and to be of one accord. He told them that if they did this, it would bring him great joy. Remember, Paul was still in prison at this time. Although he couldn’t go in person to visit the church, he let them know that simply hearing about how in harmony they were with each other would bring him great joy.

Just like Paul rejoiced over this unity, we can rejoice about this too. When other people are forgiving one another and relationships are being restored, the redemptive power of our God is at work — and we need to rejoice!

Questions to Consider:

1. How does the way Paul prayed for the church in Philippi instruct the way you should pray?
2. How can you experience the fullness of the strength and power of God?

Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:16, Philippians 1:4, Philippians 1:18, Philippians 2:2, Philippians 2:17, Philippians 4:4

Day 5: I’m Going To Rejoice Anyway… On Purpose 

Rejoice When Your Sacrifice Strengthens Others

You might be thinking, I still don’t know what to rejoice about in my life! To recap, we have talked about three ways you can rejoice so far:

• You can rejoice when you pray for others.
• You can rejoice about what is good, even when everything is not perfect.
• You can rejoice when other people are in harmony with one another.

Let’s look at Philippians 2:17 and 18 — a passage that really shows the heart of Paul. It says:

Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.

Paul was trying to encourage the church in Philippi with his gladness and rejoicing. He didn’t want them to be sad — he wanted them to be strong. You can take the same attitude yourself when you’re doing something for someone else. Whether you’re suffering like Paul was or becoming worn out by serving day after day, it can be an inconvenience, but it is important to remember that there is also great joy because others are being strengthened as a result of your sacrifice.

Rejoicing this way is really powerful. It shows complete selflessness to say, “I don’t want you to feel bad because I’m suffering. I want you to be glad that you’re getting what you need and that God is using me.”

Rejoice Even in Conflict

In previous devotions, we examined Philippians 4:4, and we’re going to study it again. But to review, let’s remind ourselves what was going on when Paul wrote this verse. In Philippians 4:2 and 3, Paul said, “I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.”

Although there was an issue between these two women, Paul commanded the church torejoice. He even said it twice: “Rejoice…again I will say, rejoice!” He didn’t just tell them to rejoice for an hour or a day — no! Paul said, “Rejoice in the Lord always….” Paul knew that if the church members rejoiced, it would prevent them from getting unnecessarily caught up in their conflict.

In the midst of conflict, someone needs to stand up and be strong. Someone needs to be bold and encourage everyone to do the right thing. Don’t just embrace or pamper strife and envy! Instead of being caught up in the conflict, make the choice to rejoice — and this choice will help to encourage others to do the same.

When you make the decision to rejoice, you must commit to continue rejoicing no matter what — even if you have to keep reminding yourself of your decision. You can’t assume that just because you decided to rejoice once, you will automatically rejoice all the time. To change habitual behaviors, you must be persistent and intentional. You have to renew your mind and decide one day at a time to forgive, let go of envy and strife, and rejoice until it becomes part of your character. That is what Paul was referring to in Philippians 4:4.

What role do joy and rejoicing have in your life? How often do you choose to rejoice? The power of the Holy Spirit is inside you, and He is empowering you to choose joy. But deciding to rejoice is something you must choose to do again and again. When you do, you’re obeying God’s Word and inviting His power and presence to move mightily in your life.

Maybe you’re reading this and thinking, Lord, I already rejoiced once. In fact, I’ve done it 20 times. Regardless of how many times you have made this decision, decide to rejoice again because an incredible thing happens when you intentionally maintain an attitude of joyfulness — it enables you to break your old habits, making room for God to replace them by building godly character within your heart.

Questions to Consider:

1. In this devotion, Denise taught about five ways we can rejoice. What were they? Which one of these five ways to rejoice stood out to you?
2. How often did Paul tell the church to rejoice? How do we make sure rejoicing becomes a habit instead of a one-time decision?
3. Are you ever tempted to not rejoice and instead turn to bitterness and anger? Don’t worry — you are not alone! But as believers, we want to obey the Word of God. Read Philippians 4:1-7 and meditate on what it says. Surrender your emotions to the Lord and ask Him to build His godly character in you.