"Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, rejoice." —Phil. 4:4
The call to perennial joy in a world where sin abounds may seem like plea for the impossible. Yet, God never commands what cannot be accomplished by His grace. "Rejoice!" That is what we are commanded to do, and not just in one isolated instance. Perhaps one reason we have difficulty with this order is that we tend to equate joy with happiness. It is my judgment that happiness, though in the English dictionary equated with joy, is in scripture distinct from it. Happiness is a feeling of elation or well being based on circumstances. It is a property of the soul, experience centered, transitory and superficial. Joy, on the other hand, is deep, enduring and essentially a spiritual quality. "The fruit of the Spirit is…joy [Gal. 5:22]." Those whose Christian experience knows little of the Holy Spirit will have difficulty maintaining joy.
If the circumstances of our life are favorable, we may be happy; if they are not, we may be sad and/or depressed. Joy has nothing to do with circumstances. It has to do with God, and rises above the circumstances of this life. When the Lord Jesus was facing crucifixion, the scripture says that "for the joy that was set before Him [He] endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God [Heb. 12:2]." And the apostle Paul wrote this epistle of joy from the dubious luxury of his Roman imprisonment. He had earlier remarked on those who opposed him and who preached Christ from an ulterior motive, "Some preach Christ even of envy and strife… supposing to add afflictions to my bonds [Phil 1:15-16]," yet added, "What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth,Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea and will rejoice [v.18]." Adverse circumstances did not diminish joy.
The apostle James adds to this doctrine, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trial of your faith worketh patience (endurance) [James 1:2-3]." So, even in adversity we are called upon to rejoice. Joy rises not from the process, but from the prospect set before us, for which the process is the necessary preparation.
Happiness is related to the emotions and rises and falls with external circumstances. Joy is related to the will and by faith rises above the circumstances. The prophet Habakkuk, in a favorite passage of mine, put it this way: "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet , and he will make me to walk upon mine high places [Hab. 3:17-19]."
A major aspect of the difference between happiness and joy is focus. We are not here instructed to rejoice in every circumstance, but rather, to "rejoice in the Lord." Thus when our joy is diminished, it is a clear indication that our focus has shifted from heaven to earth, from Christ to the crises of this life. That is perfectly natural, and proof that joy is a supernatural quality. The Savior said to His disciples, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full [John 15:11]," while alerting them that they would face persecution for their faith. They were to focus on His word to sustain them in the trials that would soon come.
The greatest challenge in this text is the word, "alway." Few of us reach that level of spiritual consistency, yet that is God's will for us. In I Thessalonians 5:16 the Spirit of God exhorts "Rejoice evermore;" literally, always, the same emphasis as in our text. If God is not able to impart that quality to us, the command is presumptuous. If the command is valid, then the resources are available to the believer, and our failure lies either in our understanding or in our faith (or both.) Note, however, that in I Thessalonians the command to rejoice evermore is followed by two others of equal force: "Pray without ceasing," and "in everything give thanks." Prayer and praise are correlatives of sustained joy, and without them our joy will f alter.
"Rejoice;" that is our calling. "Alway;" that is to be our constancy. "In the Lord;" that is our concentration, that is the key.
Yours for HIS joy,
"Pastor" Frasier
The call to perennial joy in a world where sin abounds may seem like plea for the impossible. Yet, God never commands what cannot be accomplished by His grace. "Rejoice!" That is what we are commanded to do, and not just in one isolated instance. Perhaps one reason we have difficulty with this order is that we tend to equate joy with happiness. It is my judgment that happiness, though in the English dictionary equated with joy, is in scripture distinct from it. Happiness is a feeling of elation or well being based on circumstances. It is a property of the soul, experience centered, transitory and superficial. Joy, on the other hand, is deep, enduring and essentially a spiritual quality. "The fruit of the Spirit is…joy [Gal. 5:22]." Those whose Christian experience knows little of the Holy Spirit will have difficulty maintaining joy.
If the circumstances of our life are favorable, we may be happy; if they are not, we may be sad and/or depressed. Joy has nothing to do with circumstances. It has to do with God, and rises above the circumstances of this life. When the Lord Jesus was facing crucifixion, the scripture says that "for the joy that was set before Him [He] endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God [Heb. 12:2]." And the apostle Paul wrote this epistle of joy from the dubious luxury of his Roman imprisonment. He had earlier remarked on those who opposed him and who preached Christ from an ulterior motive, "Some preach Christ even of envy and strife… supposing to add afflictions to my bonds [Phil 1:15-16]," yet added, "What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth,Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea and will rejoice [v.18]." Adverse circumstances did not diminish joy.
The apostle James adds to this doctrine, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trial of your faith worketh patience (endurance) [James 1:2-3]." So, even in adversity we are called upon to rejoice. Joy rises not from the process, but from the prospect set before us, for which the process is the necessary preparation.
Happiness is related to the emotions and rises and falls with external circumstances. Joy is related to the will and by faith rises above the circumstances. The prophet Habakkuk, in a favorite passage of mine, put it this way: "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet , and he will make me to walk upon mine high places [Hab. 3:17-19]."
A major aspect of the difference between happiness and joy is focus. We are not here instructed to rejoice in every circumstance, but rather, to "rejoice in the Lord." Thus when our joy is diminished, it is a clear indication that our focus has shifted from heaven to earth, from Christ to the crises of this life. That is perfectly natural, and proof that joy is a supernatural quality. The Savior said to His disciples, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full [John 15:11]," while alerting them that they would face persecution for their faith. They were to focus on His word to sustain them in the trials that would soon come.
The greatest challenge in this text is the word, "alway." Few of us reach that level of spiritual consistency, yet that is God's will for us. In I Thessalonians 5:16 the Spirit of God exhorts "Rejoice evermore;" literally, always, the same emphasis as in our text. If God is not able to impart that quality to us, the command is presumptuous. If the command is valid, then the resources are available to the believer, and our failure lies either in our understanding or in our faith (or both.) Note, however, that in I Thessalonians the command to rejoice evermore is followed by two others of equal force: "Pray without ceasing," and "in everything give thanks." Prayer and praise are correlatives of sustained joy, and without them our joy will f alter.
"Rejoice;" that is our calling. "Alway;" that is to be our constancy. "In the Lord;" that is our concentration, that is the key.
Yours for HIS joy,
"Pastor" Frasier
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