Memorize: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. – Jeremiah 29:11
Devotional Reading: Philippians 2:1-18
As you read today’s daily devotional, may your joy in the Lord be full to overflowing in the name of Jesus. Children of God are joyful people and our joy is from the Lord. The commandment to rejoice seems to be a repeated theme in the book of Philippians. first Philippians 2:18, then 3:1, and 4:4. Why did Paul pay so much attention to the word rejoice? On a closer look at all, rather, Paul’s emphasis is on the term “rejoice in the Lord”. He was trying to draw a line between the common rejoicing that happens to all human beings and the “art of rejoicing in the LORD”. God wants us to know that joy is a matter of realm, there are diverse types of joy and it is the realm of joy that makes the difference.
There is a rejoicing that is common to all men, it is a feeling of joy that depends on situations and circumstances around us and it is temporal and short-lived: this joy is unsubstantial and evanescent. However, there is a delight that comes with God’s presence, it is divine and powerful; the joy of the Lord. This joy is also called the ‘joy of salvation’, it is real, it is a great kind of joy, it is endless, an everlasting joy that brings down the presence of God into the hearts of men. Apostle Peter had this to say about this kind of rejoicing in 1 Peter 1:8: “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”
What makes rejoicing in the Lord so important that God had to repeatedly command us to rejoice? It is the very first miracle that happens to a person when he becomes born again. The joy of the LORD is immediately shed in the heart of the person. The unspeakable expression of the joy of salvation is therefore the most vital and undeniable proof that a person is genuinely born of again.The wisdom of God commanded it repeatedly in the Bible, and emphasized it in Philippians at least for two major reasons. First, being born again is a spiritual walk with God and the joy of the Lord is the token of our connection with God; losing the joy therefore, is another token of disconnection from God. You will never lose the joy of the Lord and never be disconnected from God in Jesus’ name.
Secondly, God knows that a genuine conversion to Christianity would cause a forceful separation and disconnection from worldly pattern, system of thought and action, which naturally leads to rejection, persecution, and diverse temptations. Therefore, the joy of the LORD is provided as an offensive weapon of consolation, encouragement, and strength in the face of persecution. That is why Philippians 4:4 says “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”
Our world today is depressed and troubled due to the on going COVID-19 pandemic, many are worried and scared, this is the time you need the joy of the LORD is your heart, don’t give in to worrying which may lead to anxiety and depression, let the joy of the LORD reign in you and rule your heart.
I pray for you today, that the joy of the LORD will not cease from your life, you will be divinely lifted this month and filled with heavenly joy, whatsoever might want to steal your joy I cancel them today in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Prayer point: Giver of Joy, please visit me with your everlasting joy today in Jesus name.
Key Dose: The devil is out to steel your joy, don’t let him!
Pastor James Ademuyiwa
Senior Pastor (IHPCT)
