Rejoice Always!!!

There are many people who rob themselves of joy because they think that they have to be able to fully understand life. Let me assure you that will never happen. That’s what it means to live by faith. We don’t understand everything that happens in life, but we know the Creator of the universe loves us. Bethlehem’s babe reminds us of that.Joy does not come from having life figured out. Neither does it come from always living in the sunshine. C. S. Lewis used to talk about the difference between joy and pleasure. Joy comes from within. It is steady and abiding. Pleasure, on the other hand, comes and goes with whatever is happening in our environment. It is extrinsic because it arises from the outside. When the circumstances change in one direction, pleasure comes. When fortune reverses, pleasure leaves.We have our small pleasures, and that’s fine. But one day they will fail us. Joy will never fail us. Joy resides within us and undergirds us regardless of what is happening on the outside. It is the free gift of God that comes with faith in Jesus Christ.If you believe in Jesus Christ and your heart is not filled with joy, ask God for it. It is your birthright as one who has given your life to Jesus. Christmas is a perfect time for doing that. Joy is not only the privilege, but also the responsibility of a Christian. It is our witness to the world that God is alive.A French philosopher once said, “I look at the Christians or those who call themselves such. They look so morbid and sad. If that’s Christianity, I’ll have no part of it.”I say to you that something is wrong with the Christians he is encountering. If you know that Christ is your Savior, if you know that God loves you, if you know that your life has meaning and purpose and that you have a Friend who will stand with you through eternity, how can you not feel a sense of joy? “Rejoice always.”