Pantote Xairete!

1 Thessalonians 5:16

Always be joyful.

If friends were to describe you, would the word joyful be in the description? Do you carry joy with you wherever you go?

It is hard to be joyful always, isn't it? Life just up and happens and the joy is let out just like in a balloon when it is popped! The word is very clear it tells us to always be joyful. Pantote Xairete – always, forever at all time, rejoice and be glad. Pretty clear instructions, isn't it?

We are supposed to rejoice about good and bad things. What? Bad things too? How?

We are able to rejoice because our joy is not based in circumstances, but in God. Circumstances change, God never changes and for this we rejoice!!!

C. S. Lewis put it this way, "Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." Is this you? Are you easily pleased so that you never reach the joy Paul is talking about here?

I read a story about a church in Nebraska. The people were all given helium balloons and were told to release them at some point during the service when they experienced joy in their hearts given by the Lord. Well, when it was over and finished over 1/3 of the congregation still had their balloons. Some of you may say well the preacher didn't do his job, or the choir didn't sing good enough, but what about us? Did we have our hearts open to hear what God might want to share with us? Were we open to joy in the service and are we open to it today?

Whatever our circumstance, we are to rejoice! God does not change and for this we are thankful, so REJOICE!!!!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie