Today's discussion centers around the biblical command to rejoice, as highlighted in Philippians 4:4, which instructs us to "rejoice in the Lord always." I reflect on my own struggles with this command, acknowledging that joy is not merely a suggestion but a directive from Jesus. Throughout the episode, I explore the significance of joy in our lives, noting that it is commanded in the Bible over 155 times, far more than many other important themes. I share personal insights and practical steps to cultivate joy, emphasizing that true joy comes from our relationship with God and the nourishment of His Word in our lives. Ultimately, we are reminded that despite our challenges, joy is a fruit of the Spirit that can flourish when we remain close to Him.
Takeaways:
The command to rejoice is emphasized in the Bible, appearing between 155 to 218 times, highlighting its significance.
Being joyful is not merely a suggestion but a command from Jesus that we are called to obey.
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, which means it requires the right conditions to grow in our lives.
To cultivate joy, we must engage deeply with God's Word and maintain a close relationship with Him.
Even amidst life's challenges, we can choose joy by recognizing the purpose behind our trials.
Ultimately, joy will prevail, as we are promised that sorrow and sighing will flee away in God's kingdom.
Welcome to the Hobo Soul Podcast of Road advised from the Bible and from me, Yvon Prehn, someone who's a little further down the road of life.
I'll talk to you every Tuesday and Thursday for about 10 minutes, and if you'd like more in depth information on walking with Jesus, you can find on my www.bible805.com website. For now, let's get started on our topic for today, which is
Episode number 49,
My most failed command to be joyful, to rejoice.
Our verse for today is Philippians 4:4 where it says "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again. Rejoice."
I hope you do better on this one than I have.
I don't intentionally go around trying to be grumpy, but joyful and rejoicing? I'm not always obedient to that. It's obviously an important command.
The number of times that being joyful is commanded, depending on the website you look at, is between 155 to 218 times throughout the Bible. That seems like a lot. And it's even more impressive in numbers.
When you look at the numbers of other important commands in the Bible, I looked up different ones and the command to love one another is only given 13 times in the Bible. And that's one of the things that Jesus said was one of the two of the most important commands.
The other one with a really high number, though, is the command to fear not. Or to just not be afraid. That comes in at 80 times. But again, to be joyful, to rejoice between 155 and 218.
The thing that's currently challenging me about this verse on joy is that it is a command. It's a characteristic that for some reason Jesus wants to really permeate our lives. It's not a suggestion.
It's not an optional thing for only super Christians to do. It's a command. And I want to be obedient to Jesus commands. But oh my, it is one I frequently disobey. Now, I have all sorts of reasons.
Partly I have a somewhat melancholy temperament, and I sometimes get lost in the deep sadness of current events, human suffering, the simple paralysis of not knowing what to do to make a difference. Sometimes I'm in. This actually is one of the most frequent.
I'm just overwhelmed with life and work and loneliness and sometimes it honestly seems like just too much work to be rejoicing when I'm just tired. But to rejoice, to be joyful is a command.
It's something the Lord wants me to do so I decided to look at it more closely to perhaps learn how to practice it more frequently. Now I'm a long way from always, but as we are often reminded, baby steps are important.
So here are some baby steps I'm trying to think about to help me rejoice more, and I trust maybe they'll be useful to you also. Nehemiah 8:10 says, the joy of the Lord is your strength. Now this verse suggests that I reversed God's ideas on joy.
I think I need to be strong, then I can express joy.
But it seems like this verse is saying just the opposite, that recognizing that joy is already given to us by the Lord, that's going to make us strong. Jesus Joy is what gives strength to the weak and weary hearts where we all find ourselves at times.
And then there's James 1:2 where it says, consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that that the testing of your faith produces perseverance and let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything Now I was reminded as I read it again of the simple decision making power of this verse. It says, consider it joy.
Whatever happens might not be joyful in itself, but we can put the label of joy on it because no matter what happens, the passage goes on to remind us that it is an opportunity for growth and the development of character that's pleasing to God. If we really believe Jesus words are true.
This verse to consider all things joyful and once like it can be sources for a sort of I was thinking about this the other day kind of defiant laughter that in the challenges of life the evil Satan throws at us from tiny tears that make our hearts beat faster because of this unknown noise at night or something happens or whatever and we're just scared to really terrible things that happen. We know that there's a purpose and ultimately life and victory will triumph.
As an unknown writer said, from the view of eternity, the very worst that can happen to us will be like one night spent in a bad hotel. When we're thrown challenges that can threaten to break us, we can choose joy and shake our fist at the enemy and say, is that all you've got?
Your time is short and my eternity of joy endless, and I choose joy. And then there's the reminder in Galatians 5, 22 and 23 where joy is listed as a fruit of the Spirit. Now what do we do in response to that?
That joy is a fruit of the Spirit, encourages me in that we can't force fruit to grow. You don't say to an apple tree, make apples. If you don't make apples, I'll beat you up.
You don't pile on guilt on the tree for it needs to bake apples. You don't say again, make apples. Make apples. Right now, you need to make apples. I'm commanding this.
What you do is you give it the right food and sunshine and water, and the apples will be the natural fruit. Given the right conditions, it can't help but produce fruit. So what are the conditions? I need to grow more of the fruit of joy in my life.
John 15 reminds me that if I'm living in Jesus, I will produce fruit. And the Lord reminded me again that I simply need to be closer to Him. And as I thought about it, my current application and yours might be different.
Just spend some time with him, finding out what he wants you to do.
But for me, it means not only reading or listening to His Word, but deeply taking it in, thinking about it, praying for insight and understanding so that it becomes part of me.
I was thinking that if I don't do that, if I'm just taking in Bible facts and not praying to see the heart of God behind them, to truly connect with him through my intake of His Word, it's kind of like if I just sprinkled fertilizer on my orchid cactus and kept the pots in a dark garage, no fruit of flowers would come of that.
What I need to do is water them to get the fertilizer into the soil, and I need to put them out into the sun to draw it all up and through the plant, and then they will bloom gloriously. I think it's the same with cultivating joy.
We need to take in the Word, water it with prayer, and bask in the awareness of the Holy Spirit, to take the nourishment of the Word and allow it to permeate every part of our lives. And the fruit of that can't help but be joyful.
the presence of Jesus, Isaiah:
That's all for this podcast, for transcripts, links to related material, and much more to help you learn to know, trust, apply and teach the Bible, go to www.bible805.com. For now, let me end with this benediction and prayer.
May you walk each day surrounded by the gracious love of the Father and guided by the gentle wisdom of the Holy Spirit and conscious of the astoundingly real presence of Jesus, who will walk with you until you're no more a hollow soul, no more a transient, wandering heart, but at home in the kingdom prepared for you with your God forever. Amen.
