There is no greater place to be than in Christ.  It is the only place where salvation can be found (2 Timothy 2:10).  If you are a Christian, you are in Christ since there is no such thing as a Christian being outside of Christ.  When we think of all the benefits, blessings, and bonuses of being in Christ, we should be filled with joy.  Paul knew this to be true and could often be found exhorting Christians to rejoice in the Lord.

Philippians 4:4 (ESV)
⁴  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Why should we always rejoice in the Lord?  There are many reasons to do so, but the primary one is our guarantee of heaven, as long as we remain faithful to the Lord.  Heaven is our main motivation for being Christians.  It is the greatest hope one can have.  We can rejoice every day because no matter what direction our lives turn, heaven is still secure, and it will be greater than any experience we can have on earth, especially the trials of life we must endure.  

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.

The glory that Paul is referring to is the glorified bodies we will have in eternity (Philippians 3:21).  These bodies, which will simply be a transformation of the present bodies that we occupy now, will be fit for a life of eternity with God in heaven.  There will be no sorrow of any kind or pain of any sort in these new bodies, just one eternal day in the presence of God and His people throughout all time.  This is something that should cause us to rejoice.

Never forget that joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  Because this is so, possessing it is no less of a command than the other fruits    of the Spirit such as love, patience, kindness, etc.  If we do not rejoice in Christ, we demonstrate that we do not fully appreciate the blessings of being a Christian, nor do we value the hope of heaven as we should.  Perhaps it is a sign of a lack of faith, or maybe it stems from not believing the promises of eternal life that God has given us.  The solution is to trust God!  He cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18).

We should rejoice in Christ because it gives the right signal to those who are not Christians.  People of the world are watching us. What is the message they receive? Are we telling them that the joys of being in Christ are few, or that our faith in Him is not strong enough to rise above the problems of life and help us to be happy?  The world should see us rejoicing in Christ regardless of what is going on in the world.  When they see that, they just might want to share the same hope that we have in Christ.  If, instead, they see nothing but sadness, irritability, and regret in their lives, the last thing they are going to want is what we have.  Failing to show joy in our lives can be a deterrent to winning souls to Christ.

If you are a Christian, rejoice in Christ every day.  No matter what is going on in the world or in your life, remember what your destination is.  Paul said that God “has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord, Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).  Let the world see this truth shining through your daily disposition even when you are not having the greatest day, knowing that as long as you are faithful to the Lord, heaven is yours.  If non-Christians can see this in us, maybe they will want to make heaven their home too.

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