The young church at Thessalonica faced severe persecution.  Paul boasted to other churches about their steadfast faith amid such persecution and afflictions (2 Thessalonians 1:4-5).  Nevertheless, Paul still expected them to have a joyful attitude.  He exhorted them to simply “rejoice always” (1 Thessalonica 5:16).

The church at Thessalonica was not the only church to whom Paul gave such an exhortation.  He told the church at Philippi the same thing (Philippians 4:4), as he also did the churches at Corinth (2 Corinthians 13:11) and Rome (Romans 12:12).

If anyone is going to rejoice, it should be Christians.  Professed Christians who are always unhappy give God a bad name.  People conclude that obeying God is dreadful because of how unhappy some in Christ seem to be.  Their conclusion is, “why in the world should I obey the gospel and follow Christ just to be miserable?”  It should not puzzle us that some will not obey the gospel when the result, as they see it, is depression and despair.  We need to show the world that the commandments of God are not grievous, but, instead, bring joy to those who believe and obey them.

Rejoicing always is attainable.  We can live lives characterized by joy, or why would God command us to rejoice?  Keep in mind that rejoicing always does not mean that we can be happy at all times.  The wise man of Ecclesiastes  said, there is “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”  Sad times happen to us all.  Yet, no matter how difficult life gets, we can still rejoice, knowing that one day we will experience a glory that far outweighs anything we ever encountered in this world.

Romans 8:18 (ESV)
¹⁸  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

If you are a Christian, and you are not rejoicing in the Lord, it could simply be a matter of improper thinking.  Solomon is a good example of this.  He thought he could find joy in all his riches, but he discovered he was wrong.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 (ESV)
¹⁰  He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

If joy eludes you because of your lack of material things, you are looking for it in the wrong place.  Your focus should be on the many spiritual riches you have in Christ, not the temporal things of this world.  Do not make the same mistake that Solomon made.  He finally learned the folly of his ways, but not until after many years of disappointment.  Don’t rob yourself of years of joy by thinking you can find it in the things of this world.

We may be surrounded by the grief and sorrow of the world, but we can rejoice every day because of the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:2). Do not let the world get you down.  If you are a Christian, you have plenty of reasons to rejoice in the Lord, and to do it always.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.