“Be joyful always; pray without continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
This is a very familiar scripture. It is also a command. But, is it even doable? Be joyful always? If God commands it, then He will give us the ability to live this way. Yet, many of us have lost our joy. King David lost his. That’s why he prayed, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.” How did David lose his joy? Sin. And I think the same is true for many of us. Sin is one of the major “joy robbers.” When we choose actions that are sinful, we tend to want to hide from God (like Adam and Eve). Since God is the source of joy, it’s in His presence where there is fullness of joy, joy flees when we sin. The answer – repentence. Doesn’t it make you grateful for Jesus?
However, we can lose our joy even when sin isn’t the culprit. One way to continue to live with joy is to live a life of thanksgiving. There’s an old hymn that says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” Instead of focusing on all of life’s problems, let’s magnify the Lord. Let’s number our blessings, not count our problems. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice!” Philippians 4:4