Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. With all that is going on in the world how can we rejoice? We can have joy that comes from the Lord regardless of our circumstances. The joy that comes from the world is fleeting and temporary. There is security immeasurable that comes from knowing that God is in control and that regardless of what is happening in the world God is taking all that happens and working things together for the good of those that love God. This promise is found in Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." God allows events and circumstances in our lives that taken individually in and of themselves appear to be of no value or good to the Christian. God's ways are not our ways. God sees a purpose and a plan that we are unable to see. We look with human eyes and feel that many things in life seem unfair because we have finite thinking based on our senses of what is seen instead of supernatural spiritual eyes to allow us to see the unfolding of God's perfect plan. We are much more willing to attribute the pleasant events of our life to the hand of God than we are the painful experiences. We find it difficult to believe that an act of deliberate cruelty intended by an offender to hurt us is being used by God for our good. Some of the most painful horrific circumstances in my life have brought me to my knees and led me to becoming dependent on God. Rejoice in the Lord means to rejoice and praise God always even in the hardest of times. Since God causes all things to work together for good, we dare not assume that every individual event or circumstance will be perceived as good at the moment. It will only be recognized as good at the end of the process, when God is finished with His work in and for us. God’s promises and His prophecies set it out for us to see through the eyes of faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us what faith is. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." As a Christian I have faith that God's word is truth and because I believe in what is unseen my hope rests on nothing less than God's word. Thus I can rejoice in the Lord always. Always means at all times regardless of the circumstances. James 5:18 also says "in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
God is sovereign. He is in complete control of every event and of every circumstance in His creation. He does not cause all things, such as evil, but He does control all things so that His will is accomplished. God’s sovereign control extends to the acts of unbelievers, of angels, fallen or unfallen, and even to Satan. The sovereignty of God is specifically applied to those who are Christians—those who have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ.
God exercises His sovereignty toward Christians in such a way that everything that touches our lives has been allowed or brought about by Him. Those things which would prove to be detrimental to our good have been kept from us. Those things which will work together for the “good” God has purposed for us, God arranges and controls in such a way as to produce that good. Much of what is defined as being worked for our good is unseen and even in the future. It is a good we can hope for based upon God’s Word and believed by faith. That “good” includes our salvation, sanctification, and our full adoption as sons of God. What is the good that all things are working together for? To make us like Jesus. To be conformed to the image of His Son. There is no higher good than to be like the Lord Jesus Christ. The good is not to make us necessarily healthy or happy but to make us holy, to make us like Jesus. Our goal must be to be conformed to the image of God's Son. Also this promise is only for those who love God. The first and great commandment is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Whatever the circumstances that come to us, we can rely on God's promise in Romans 8:28. No matter our circumstances we can rejoice in the Lord always and no one can take this verse or this promise out of the Bible—and may Satan never take it out of your heart.
God is sovereign. He is in complete control of every event and of every circumstance in His creation. He does not cause all things, such as evil, but He does control all things so that His will is accomplished. God’s sovereign control extends to the acts of unbelievers, of angels, fallen or unfallen, and even to Satan. The sovereignty of God is specifically applied to those who are Christians—those who have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ.
God exercises His sovereignty toward Christians in such a way that everything that touches our lives has been allowed or brought about by Him. Those things which would prove to be detrimental to our good have been kept from us. Those things which will work together for the “good” God has purposed for us, God arranges and controls in such a way as to produce that good. Much of what is defined as being worked for our good is unseen and even in the future. It is a good we can hope for based upon God’s Word and believed by faith. That “good” includes our salvation, sanctification, and our full adoption as sons of God. What is the good that all things are working together for? To make us like Jesus. To be conformed to the image of His Son. There is no higher good than to be like the Lord Jesus Christ. The good is not to make us necessarily healthy or happy but to make us holy, to make us like Jesus. Our goal must be to be conformed to the image of God's Son. Also this promise is only for those who love God. The first and great commandment is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Whatever the circumstances that come to us, we can rely on God's promise in Romans 8:28. No matter our circumstances we can rejoice in the Lord always and no one can take this verse or this promise out of the Bible—and may Satan never take it out of your heart.
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