Category Archives: Rejoicing

Group of diverse people standing on a grassy hill at sunset with raised arms and smiling faces
Bible, Family, Psalms, Rejoicing, Romans, Scripture

JOIN THE FAMILY

ROMANS 15:10

“Again he says, ‘REJOICE, YOU GENTILES, WITH HIS PEOPLE.’”

When I married my wife way back in 1985, I was immediately welcomed into her family. Her parents and seven siblings, along with their spouses and children, became my family also. Also, my wife became family to my parents, siblings and their families. We are part of the Willis/Barker union. Over these almost 41 years, we have both grown closer to the other side of the family. Sure, we may argue and disagree from time to time, but the love we have for each other is always there.

Paul quotes from the first part of Deuteronomy 32:43 in today’s verse linking the Gentiles with the Jewish nation (“with His people”). Matthew Poole says regarding this verse, “Here it is evidently implied, that the Gentiles should become the people of God, and join with the Jews in his worship and service and rejoice in the sense of his goodness and mercy to them. The partition wall is now taken away, and they both became one sheepfold under one Shepherd.”

APPLICATION

This verse may sound simple, but it wasn’t. The Jews and the Gentiles were not exactly friends. Jews considered Gentiles as unclean and unworthy of any recognition by God. Remember the story of Cornelius and Peter in Acts 10? God had to show Peter beforehand that He had declared unclean things to be clean so that Peter would understand when Cornelius asked him to come. God was rewriting who belonged in His family.

Jesus came and declared all men worthy of being called God’s children. It was the Father Who declared to Peter, “‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’” That was the message of the cross. God sent Jesus to die for all mankind. Therefore, we can say along with the Psalmist, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people.”

Listen carefully! You belong in His family. Nobody can tell you otherwise. If you have yielded to the call of the Spirit and have decided to follow Jesus, you belong. I don’t care where you came from. It doesn’t matter what race or nationality you are, you are now in His family. You can rejoice along with all His saints. Satan doesn’t want you to believe that, but it’s true. So, join the chorus and sing it loud. Hosanna, to the King of kings!

Thank You for adopting me into Your family, O God.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Heavenly city on a mountaintop with golden gates and people entering, surrounded by animals, trees, river, and angels above.
Appeasement, Bible, Joy, Kingdom, Peace, Rejoicing, Righteous, Righteousness, Romans, Scripture

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS…

ROMANS 14:17

“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

When you hear the expression “the kingdom of God,” what does that mean to you? There are as many opinions of what that means as there are Christian denominations. Every one of them thinks they have the correct thought on this. But the best description of the kingdom of God comes right from Scripture. Remember, the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself.

As Paul continues his instruction on judging others, he reminds us of what is really important – the kingdom message of righteousness, peace and joy. Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers gives a very interesting comparison regarding this verse. “It is remarkable how, with all the wide difference in terminology between the writings of St. Paul and the Gospels, they yet come round to the very same point. The ‘kingdom of God,’ as here described, is exactly what we should gather from the fuller and more detailed sayings of our Lord. ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man;’ ‘The kingdom of God is within you;’ ‘The kingdom of God cometh not with observation;’ ‘If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light;’ ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness;’ ‘Blessed are the peacemakers;’ ‘Rejoice and be exceeding glad.’”

APPLICATION

Let’s look at some of the sayings of Christ regarding the kingdom of God.

  • Matthew 6:33, “‘But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.’”
  • Luke 6:20, “‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.’”
  • Mark 4:26-29, “26 And He was saying, ‘The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up daily, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the stalk, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 Now when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.’”
  • Luke 13:18-21, “18 So He was saying, ‘What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky nested in its branches.’ 20 And again He said, ‘To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until it was all leavened.’”

Why did I list all those verses (and there are many more sayings of Christ about God’s kingdom)? Because if the kingdom of God was on the mind of Christ, shouldn’t it be on ours? We cannot obtain the kingdom by what we eat or drink. That’s what Paul is telling us. We obtain God’s kingdom through righteousness (being made right through the blood of the Lamb), through peace (having made peace through submission to the Creator) and through joy (rejoicing and giving praise for our great salvation). That’s the kingdom of God. Celebrate it!

O Lord, I praise You for my salvation and my admission into Your kingdom.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Two women sitting on a couch, holding and comforting each other while crying.
Bible, Companions, Crying, Fellowship, Rejoicing, Romans, Scripture

BE APPROPRIATE

ROMANS 12:15

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”

I have been weeping the past couple of weeks with a dear brother who lost his older brother and was unable to attend the funeral in another country due to the violence around his home village. We cried and prayed together a lot. He and I have also had times of rejoicing over a new discipleship group getting launched in a church or over a new believer in Christ. He knows I will rejoice and weep with him.

Why do you think Paul puts these two directives together? Do people really have to be reminded to be appropriate with their emotions toward others? I guess so. Nothing has changed since Paul’s writing these words to the Romans. People can still be very inappropriate in their expression of emotions toward others. Rejoice when it’s time and weep when it’s time.

APPLICATION

Paul uses the same word for “rejoice” as he did back in verse 12 when we are told to rejoice in hope. I don’t need to go over that word again, do I? Go back in this blog site and read that again, if necessary. Let me point out the little preposition there. It’s the Greek word meta which really points to the after effect of the activity. That’s important to what Paul is saying. The rejoicing is done with the after effect in mind.

The same preposition is used when Paul writes “weep with those who weep.” It’s more about the after effect of the weeping you do with someone. The friend I mentioned earlier has become a dearer brother because of my weeping with him. This weeping really means to wail aloud, to really cry out loud. It’s not the quiet crying. Do not be afraid to let your cries be heard.

Rejoice or weep – which do you prefer? I think we would all prefer rejoicing, right? But there is a time and place for both. I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:4 where it says, “A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Whatever you are called on to do, do it with a pure motive for the benefit of the one you are joining.

Thank You, God, for friends who will rejoice and weep with me when I need them.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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A smiling woman with curly hair raising both arms outdoors in front of a crowd
Bible, Devotion, Hope, Perseverance, Prayer, Rejoicing, Romans, Scripture, Tribulations

SOME IMPORTANT ACTIONS

ROMANS 12:12

“rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,”

You may have heard of Newton’s Third Law of Motion, which states that whenever one object exerts a force on a second, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force on the first. This concept which is studied in physics applies to us in so many ways like walking or swimming. Thankfully, this does not apply in the spiritual realm. Even though the forces of hell may come against us, we have an overwhelming power available to us to combat it.

Paul gives us three actions that we need to take in this spiritual battle that we face every day. These actions are critical to a successful walk with Christ. He tells us to rejoice, persevere and be devoted. Let’s take a look at each of these and see how they are referenced in other passages.

APPLICATION

Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you rejoiced in hope? The verb “rejoicing” is xaírō. Spiros Zodhiates comments that “xará (joy) and xáris (grace) are cognate with xaírō (to rejoice), i.e. all share the same root and therefore the same core (fundamental) meaning.” I have heard once that a great word picture of this verb is a little lamb jumping and running around. Are you rejoicing in His hope like that? Philippians 4:4 tells us to “rejoice in the Lord always.”

Then Paul tells us to persevere “in tribulation.” What does that mean? The Greek verb here is hypoménō  which means “literally, remaining under (the load), bearing up (enduring); for the believer, this uniquely happens by God’s power.” (HELPS Word-studies) James 1:12 says, “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial;” And the Greek word translated as “tribulation” can best be described as being between a rock and a hard place. Lots of pressure is being exerted, but we are told to bear up under that with God’s power.

Lastly, Paul returns to prayer by telling us to be “devoted” to it. The Greek verb here is a compound word, proskarteréō. It comes from pros (towards, interactively with) and karteréō (show steadfast strength). That word comes from krátos, (prevailing strength). Do you get the picture? Remain strong in prayer. The Apostles told the early followers in Acts 6:4 that they needed to devote themselves to prayer instead of caring for widow. In Colossians 4:2 we are told, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;” 

There you have it – rejoice, persevere and be devoted. Those are some pretty strong actions to take this week. And as we take those actions in our spiritual journey, rest assured that the reaction from the Lord will far exceed our action. He will bless us as we take these actions steps with Him.

Help me today, O Lord, to rejoice in hope, persevere in my tribulations and be devoted to prayer.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Celebrate, Rejoicing, Scripture, Testimony, Witness, Witnessing

CELEBRATING AGAIN

ROMANS 5:11

“And not only this, but we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

I love to celebrate things, don’t you? I love to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries in our family. I love to celebrate victories by my Georgia Bulldogs (Go DAWGS). I love to celebrate people coming to Christ. I love to celebrate baptisms and marriages and even, in some cases, the death of a dear saint. Celebrations should be done often. Find a reason to celebrate.

In chapter five of Romans, this is the third time we have seen Paul tell us to celebrate or rejoice. In verse 2 he said we celebrate hope. In verse 3, we celebrate our tribulations (that’s a hard one). And now in today’s verse, Paul tells us we “also celebrate in God.” May I remind you that the Greek word here for celebrate is kauchaomai which means “living with ‘head up high,’ i.e. boasting from a particular vantage point by having the right base of operation to deal successfully with a matter.” (HELPS Word-studies).

APPLICATION

This word does NOT mean to be snobby about your celebration. This should be an open invitation to all to celebrate with you. We are celebrating our reconciliation made possible by God when He sent Jesus to die for us. Why wouldn’t we invite everyone we know to that party? We have received the greatest gift in the universe, and we should be ready to share it with everyone.

2 Corinthians 10:17 tells us, “But THE ONE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD.” This comes straight from the Lord as spoken by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 9:23-24. This is worth including here. “23 This is what the LORD says: ‘Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches; 24  but let the one who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the LORD.”

Those are verses worth memorizing. We are to boast not in our wisdom, might or riches. We are to only boast, rejoice, celebrate in the Lord and that we know Him. I promise if we all did that, the world would be a better place. Sadly, too many people are boasting of themselves or what they have. Don’t fall into that trap. Celebrate only in God!

O Father, You are enough to celebrate. I will rejoice in You forever. 

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Hope, Rejoicing, Scripture, Trials, Tribulations

ARE YOU SUFFERING?

ROMANS 5:3

“And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;”

If you ever hear someone say they celebrate tribulations, you will probably call someone to pick them up for a psych evaluation. We just don’t think that way, especially when we are in the midst of a hard time. We complain, whine and bellyache to anyone who will listen. We could be singing that old Hee Haw song, “Doom, Despair and Agony on me.”

So, when Paul writes that we should rejoice (same word used in 5:2) in tribulations just like we rejoice in hope, that sounds kind of crazy. Who in their right mind celebrates the hard times? Remember who is writing this. Paul had seen his fair share of hard times, hadn’t he? I want to share Paul’s list of sufferings for you to understand that he knew what he was talking about. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 Paul says, “23 Are they servants of Christ?—I am speaking as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift at sea. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.”

APPLICATION

How does your hard times compare to that? And through all that Paul can still write “celebrate in our tribulations.” That Greek word translated “tribulations” could be translated “between a rock and a hard place.” It’s the Greek word thlipsis. Often when you go through these hard times you feel there is no escape. You begin to lose hope. But Paul says to celebrate them the same way you celebrate hope.

I’ve been through some hard times in my life, emotionally and physically. I have learned that you have to choose to rejoice in them only because you believe in the end result. As Paul says, they “bring about perseverance.” Isn’t that a good thing? We all want to persevere, but we don’t want to go through the stuff that builds it.

We will see in tomorrow’s verse that Paul will come back full circle to hope. Let me encourage you to go ahead and take a look at 5:4. I don’t want to leave you hanging here on tribulations. They have their purpose. Otherwise, God would not allow His children to go through them. See you tomorrow.

Father, I praise You for the trials that come my way that build perseverance into me.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Attitude, Bible, Decisions, Rejoicing, Scripture, Testimony

WASH, RINSE, REPEAT

PHILIPPIANS 4:4

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”

Have you ever noticed the directions on a shampoo bottle? Most of them say, “Wash hair, rinse and repeat.” Now, come on. Admit it. How many times do you do that? Not me! I wash and rinse once. If I have an unusually sweaty time outside, I may do the repeat, but rarely. I bet I would have better looking hair if I followed the instructions. But this may just be a sales ploy to get me to use more shampoo. Lol

Paul must have wanted these Philippian believers to revel in their joy, to repeat it over and over again. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance refers to a “oscillatory repetition.” What is that? I used to have my grandma’s old oscillating fan. It would swing back and forth to cover the room. I loved that old fan. It would blow and blow and blow, never seeming to tire. That’s the idea Paul is portraying here. We should rejoice, rejoice and rejoice. The two uses of “rejoice” are commands that we are to repeat over and over again.

APPPLICATION

So, I was thinking. What keeps us from doing this? I believe it is no coincidence that Paul couches this statement right between verses dealing with disharmony (verses 2-3) and verses 6-7 that deal with anxiety. Disharmony and anxiety can kill our desire to rejoice. Jesus tells us to rejoice, even in the midst of persecution. In Luke 6:23 He says, “‘Rejoice on that day and jump for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to treat the prophets the same way.’”

There is never a reason to not rejoice. We have to have that attitude at all times. Knowing that, we can follow this command from Paul. Rejoice in the bad times. Rejoice in the good times. Rejoice always. I am not saying this is easy, but it is a decision we make. We choose to rejoice rather than complain. We rejoice instead of getting revenge. We rejoice when everything seems to be going against us.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:10, “as sorrowful yet always rejoicing…” Make up your mind today to rejoice, no matter what. You’ve heard it said, “Turn that frown upside down.” There’s a lot of truth in that little statement. After all, they say it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. Why overwork?

Lord, give me a spirit of rejoicing today.

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Bible, Boasting, Glory, Jesus, Pride, Rejoicing, Scripture

TAKE PRIDE IN JESUS

PHILIPPIANS 3:3

“for we are the true  circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and take pride in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh,”

I recently got a notification on my phone that I would have an IOS update (operating system). I normally look at what the latest update is supposed to do. Low and behold, one of the updates was for a new wallpaper theme for my phone, you know, those themed backgrounds. But this was one I was not interested in receiving. It was for Pride Month, a celebration of alternative lifestyles that I cannot condone. I will not be using that update.

Paul tells us clearly what we should take pride in – Christ Jesus. He tells the Philippian church that as followers of Christ we are the “true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and take pride in Christ Jesus.” He goes on to say we “put no confidence in the flesh.” I don’t know how you could say it better than that. Jeremy Camp has a song I listen to a lot that has a line that says, “Holy Fire, burn away my desire, for anything that is not of You and that is of me, I want more of You and less of me.” That is Paul’s desire for you and me today.

APPLICATION

Taking pride in the right thing is a good thing. We often equate pride with being stuck up or arrogant. The quite opposite is true when we take pride in Jesus. The Greek word used here for “take pride” can also be translated “rejoice, boast, glory.” We see all of those in various translations of this verse. The word is used 38 times in the New Testament. But get this – it is used 26 times in 1 and 2 Corinthians. If I was a betting man, I would guess that church had a pride issue. Some were boasting in themselves or the wrong things. Paul kept pointing them back to boasting in the right thing – God alone.

You should really read 2 Corinthians 10:12-18 to get a full picture of the danger of pride in ourselves. Paul says it best in verse 17 there when he says, “But THE ONE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD.” Paul may have had Jeremiah 9:23-24 in his thoughts as he penned this. Those verses say this, “23 This is what the LORD says: ‘Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let the one who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the LORD.”

So, let me ask you today – what are you taking pride in? Your wisdom, your might, your riches, yourself? As Jeremy Camp said, “I want more of You and less of me.” I choose today to rejoice, to boast, to glory in Christ Jesus as my Lord and Savior. He and He alone is worthy of all our praise. Take pride in Him.

I glory in Jesus today, O Lord, and give Him all praise for what He has done for me.

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Bible, Joy, Rejoicing, Repetition, Scripture, Skills

REPEATING YOURSELF

PHILIPPIANS 3:1

“Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble for me, and it is a safeguard for you.”

My wife and I are constantly repeating what we say to each other. One of us can’t hear well. Okay, to be honest, both of us are struggling a little with our hearing. But have you priced hearing aids? Ouch! I know if I get her attention before I start speaking, I don’t have to repeat myself as much. Even then though sometimes it is something worth repeating. Right?

Paul says something in today’s verse about repeating yourself. He has told the Philippian church to rejoice in previous verses, but he repeats himself here. He says, “To write the same things again is no trouble for me,…” The Greek word for “trouble” is okneros. It is only used two other times in the New Testament. In Matthew 25:26 it is translated “lazy” or “slothful.” In Romans 12:11, the NASB translates it as “not lagging behind.” So, when Paul uses this word in today’s verse, he is saying it is not a waste of time to repeat himself. Remember that.

APPLICATION

When is it good to repeat yourself? To make certain your words are understood completely. Many preachers will tell the congregation what he is going to say, then he will say it and finally he will tell them what he said. Repetition is a great skill. In the ministry I am a part of (Every Man A Warrior), we use skills to teach our men how to walk with God, succeed in life and how to make disciples. One of those skills is repetition. Doing something over and over will train those spiritual muscles we need.

Repetition is how body builders build muscle. Why do you think they use the term “reps” for the number of times they lift a weight in an exercise? Repetition of those weights build physical muscle. And if you want to build bigger muscles, you have to increase the weight you lift. Repetition is a good thing.

Back to today’s verse. Paul is telling the Philippians to keep being joyous. He wanted them to express joy at all times. He wanted them to learn the skill of expressing joy by doing it over and over. We should do the same. Today, choose to be joyous. Tell someone about your joy. Tell them where true joy can be found – in Jesus Christ.

Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.Rejoice! Rejoice! And again I say rejoice. Rejoice! Rejoice! And again I say rejoice!

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Bible, Family, Friends, Joy, Rejoicing, Scripture

REJOICE IN OTHERS

PHILIPPIANS 2:28

“Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly, so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you.”

I just love seeing family and friends I haven’t seen in a long time. There are lots of hugs and laughs (I’m a hugger). My wife and I are going to see some of her family next month. I can’t wait. I haven’t seen them since their oldest brother’s funeral a couple of years ago. I know we are going to eat, tell stories, eat some more and just enjoy each other’s company for a couple of days. We will be, in a matter of speaking, rejoicing in each other.

Paul knew sending Epaphroditus back to Philippi would bring smiles and rejoicing. And in doing this, he says he “may be less concerned” about the Philippian church. They had been so distressed by the news of Epaphroditus’ illness and were worried about him. Seeing him again, healthy and in person, they would truly rejoice.

APPLICATION

The word Paul uses here for “rejoice” is chairo which means to be cheerful or glad. Paul uses that same word later in 4:4 where he writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” We see James use it James 1:1 where it is translated as “greetings.” Then in 1 Peter 4:13 we read, “but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed.”

That last one is a tough one! Who wants to rejoice in suffering? Not me! Been there, done that! No fun! But we are told to rejoice in it. Be glad in it. This applies so well to our relationships. Even when things aren’t going so great in a particular relationship, we can rejoice in the life of that person. I am not implying that we should rejoice in those who do us harm. We pray for them. But we can rejoice in others.

Tell someone today that you are rejoicing in them. Tell them they give you joy. My ten month old grandson gives me joy. My wife gives me joy. My family gives me joy. My friends give me joy. My church gives me joy. And, most of all, my Jesus gives me joy. Rejoice in the Lord always!

I rejoice in You, O Lord. You give me joy each time I think of what You did for me.

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