Dr Paul Allen

Portrait of Martin Luther as an Augustinian Monk (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Just after instructing us to rejoice in the Lord ( Philippians 4:4 ), Paul wrote in verse 6, “Do not be anxious about anything.” Worry is a kill-joy. It specializes in worst case scenarios when God promises us best case scenarios: He has already rescued us from the worst, which is eternal Hell ;  Even if something horrible happens, He will use it for our eternal good ( Romans 8:28 ); Often bad things do not happen and our worry proves groundless; Whether or not bad things happen, our worry generates no positive change, and in fact, can cause me great harm; The cause for all our worries—sin and the Curse—is temporary, and will soon be behind us. Forever. Hence the command to rejoice is not mere positive thinking—we have every reason to rejoice. Paul continued in verse 7, “But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God,

Crucifixion of St. Peter by Caravaggio. The early Christians were persecuted by the Roman Empire (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Joy is a Duty First, we must recognize that we are commanded to rejoice. Paul writes, “ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil 4:4; cf. 1 Thess  5:16 ).  He is not making a request, nor merely offering a suggestion as if to say, “If you’d  really  like to make progress in your Christian life , if you  really  want to be a  mature  Christian, you  might consider diligently pursuing your joy in God.” No!  He’s speaking to  all  the Christians at the church of Philippi (1:1), and by extension to all Christians today. He is informing us of our duty. It is a present imperative, and so even if he didn’t include the word “always,” the original language would still have the force of: “Be continually rejoicing.” And Paul is not innovating here. There are numerous other places in Scripture where God’s people are  commanded  to re

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia " Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." ( Philippians 4:4 )   This encouraging command has been used in many generations of Sunday school teachings and sermons to challenge the saints. The apostle Paul uses nearly half of the 74 appearances of the word in the New Testament in his epistles.   This simple statement in Philippians 4:4 seems to summarize all of the other passages: "Rejoice |imperative command|--in the Lord |the qualifier, or the 'way' to rejoice|--always |in every circumstance and condition|." Joy is a godly thing.   Because of our sinful condition, we cannot easily "rejoice in the Lord." We can have fleeting moments of happiness and experiences that fill our hearts with delight and pleasure, but true joy--the ability to "rejoice"--only comes "in the Lord."   A quick review from the " Songs " of Israel can help us grasp how