By Pastor Steve Nickodemus
Continually Singing!
You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
Philippians 4:4 English Standard Version
It is Easter morning and the choir is ready to begin singing in just a few seconds. They will sing throughout the whole service, celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, proclaiming the Good News that He died and rose to give us salvation and eternal life!
The choir is ready to praise God, to rejoice in Him. But are you ready to rejoice in God, to praise Him? Are you ready to give Him thanks in every situation and circumstance? Are you ready to praise Him even in the difficult times of your life?
Sadly, we confess that we often do not praise God, especially in the difficult trials of our life. How are we to praise Him in the midst of grief or pain or suffering? When others have mistreated us or scorned us or hurt us? Are we able to rejoice in those circumstances?
But to “rejoice in the Lord always” means that we rejoice in God even in the midst of hard places and times. How can we do that? How can we rejoice in hard places? We can rejoice because Jesus has gone through those hard places before us, He has suffered all things, even death, for our sake. We can rejoice because God’s promises are always true, especially in the hard times. We can rejoice because our sins are forgiven and we are given eternal life which never changes. We can rejoice because Jesus is with us, even to the end of the world.
We may not be happy in painful times, we may be sad in the midst of grief, but because the Lord is with us, we will rejoice. In every circumstance and every place.
Lord, give me a heart that rejoices in you in every circumstance. Thank you for your promises and your mercy in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church Colorado Springs, Colorado
