Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord!
Summary: Rejoicing in the Lord sounds rather simple and straightforward. Unfortunately, even when we put our faith in Jesus, we are still able to take pride in ourselves.
Do Christians still know how to “rejoice in the Lord?” Sometimes I wonder if rejoicing has become a lost art.
The other day, I was in a small group study, and the topic of heaven and hell came up. The context is a passage in 1 Corinthians, where Paul describes our bodies as “temples of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
The question had to do with how our behavior impacts our status as Christians, and whether or not people who don’t treat the temple of the Holy Spirit with the proper respect end up in heaven or hell.
I firmly believe in what the Bible tells us about the power of Christ to save sinners. Being a sinner myself, I have a personal interest in whether salvation depends on Jesus’ Grace and Mercy, or whether it depends on me.
My point here is not to re-litigate the discussion, but to raise the issue of our spiritual focus.
If my focus is on the fact that I am saved because I was smart enough to believe in Jesus, then it seems logical that I might take a little pride in that fact. If I take one more step down this path, I might logically conclude that people who don’t believe the way I do are destined for hell.
The problem with this kind of thinking is that there is no joy in it. Being proud of being “right” is not giving God the credit for my salvation because I am too busy taking credit for it.
On the other hand, if I see my salvation as a gift from God, then my salvation is not because I am smarter than someone else or — to put it in terms of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians — better at honoring God with my body.
If my salvation is a gift, then the proper response is not pride, but joy.
Is Jesus’ power to save people from hell dependent on my theology? Does it depend on yours? What about the church? Does one theology save better than another?
Ask the thief on the cross who turned to Jesus in his last moments of life (Luke 23:32-43). He didn’t have any theology except Jesus. Today, he is with Jesus in paradise (Luke 23:43).
I bet he knows how to rejoice in the Lord!
Application: Focus on the Gift!
Food for Thought: How does Satan use his spiritual sleight of hand to distract us from our joy in the Lord?
How does Satan use his spiritual sleight of hand to distract us from our joy in the Lord?
It’s a good question. In researching the answer it seems there are many sleights of hand that Satan uses. The one I find hits the closest to home for me is turning service to Christ into a perceived burden.
When we talk about listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, trusting Him, He will ask us to serve the Kingdom. In fact, this is something we pray for.
Matthew 9:38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
Matthew 6:10
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
The Holy Spirit guides us to His good work, and there is joy in accomplishing His good work. He gives us both the task and the provision, we are given the joy.
Satan has a way of convincing us that it is burdensome. We say “yes” to the the Holy Spirit’s calling, and then perceive because things are not “going as smoothly as we expect” that we are abandoned in the task, or we are “doing it wrong”, or it is more than we can handle or “signed up for.”
And there goes the joy.
1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
When we give according to what we have been given to the Glory of God, there is no expectation of perfection, only that we serve from the heart.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
When we “feel” burdened, we only need to call on the name of Christ. He will give us strength, He will give us the provision to complete His good work, and He will sustain our joy.
Thank you, Chris!
Well said. I especially appreciated this:
“When we give according to what we have been given to the Glory of God, there is no expectation of perfection, only that we serve from the heart.”
Well said CH.
The enemy is real and will use any means at his disposal to be as cruel as possible, which includes attempts to distract us from our joy in the Lord. That is why we must take every thought captive to Christ every day.
1 Peter 5: 8 – 9a; Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.
2 Corinthians 10: 5: We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Thanks Rich!
That “taking every thought captive” is a chore when they are running in every which direction!!
How does Satan use his spiritual sleight of hand to distract us from our joy in the Lord?
Satan is an enemy of God seeking to overcome His authority however he can. He is a self-centered liar by nature, rules nations of the earth, commands a host of demons, is confined to the earth and Hell, as he seeks to turn all humankind against Jesus.
He appears as the giver of things of this world which would make us bigger and better than we may preceive ourselves to be. His powers are limited to persuasive false promises, lies and deception. He can only influence, attract and deceive our flesh. He has no power to force us to do anything. Therefore we must, simply turn from his lies, to the truths made known by God and satan will flee.
2 CORINTHIANS 11:14, And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
1 PETER 5:8, Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
LUKE 10:19, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
ROMANS 6:18, You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Thank you Ron!
It is good to be reminded that Satan’s powers are limited!