1 THESSALONIANS 5:16

“Rejoice always;” 

This is a first for me. I have put the entire verse in the title, lol.  One of the shortest verses in the Bible. In fact, in the Greek, it is shorter than the commonly thought of shortest verse “Jesus wept.” How ironic that the verse we think is the shortest has an exact opposite thought than the actual shortest verse. On the one hand we have weeping and on the other we have rejoicing.  That was just interesting to me. It didn’t cost you anything extra.

What does Paul mean here? This word “rejoice” is a command. We are commanded to rejoice ALL THE TIME. Is that possible? We can if we understand where this word comes from. “Rejoice,” “joy” and “grace” all come from the same root word in the Greek. If you understand grace and have experienced it through salvation, you will have joy. And if you have joy, you can’t help but rejoice. Even in bad times, God’s grace and joy will explode in rejoicing.

APPLICATION

Have you had a “Rejoicing Party” lately with your children? What fun! Put on a cd with some songs of rejoicing and praising our Savior. Dance and sing. Rejoice! Children love to dance with daddy and mommy. They love to watch us celebrate. 

Teach them this verse. Even a three-year-old can memorize this one. But explain it to them. Make sure they understand that rejoicing is based on joy and grace. We rejoice because of what God has done through His Son Jesus. We can’t rejoice in anything we’ve done. What a great verse – rejoice always.

Do you? Do you rejoice? Do you rejoice always? It is possible, if you allow yourself to die to your selfishness and pride. If you allow the Holy Spirit to flow through you, He will bring the joy to the top and it will overflow with rejoicing. Let it flow!

I praise You, my Lord, for filling me with Your grace and joy through the knowledge of Your Son. Because of Him I can rejoice always, even when the world is dead set against me. I WILL rejoice.