Zechariah 2:10 ESV
There is a common misconception about the way people see the Christian life. Oftentimes, people think that the Christian life is boring, not fun, and stale. Some people see Christianity as a “get out of jail free” card where there is the freedom to do whatever you want. In reality, there is a middle ground between these two views that give us a full and satisfying life. In addition, we must remember though that there is a reason for why we rejoice. With COVID going around, it is easy to ask ourselves what do we have to rejoice in?
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
For this post, I am going to stick strictly to what the passage tells us. He says to “sing and rejoice” because God is going to dwell in the midst of them. That is an amazing reason to rejoice in this life. We, as believers, get to live in partial fulfillment of this truth. You see, the Holy Spirit dwells in each of us. Therefore, there is reason to rejoice in Christ and Christ alone. He has made His dwelling in the heart of every believer.
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV
During this time, the Israelite people did not have the same reason to rejoice as we do. They sang and rejoiced because God is giving them a promise to hold onto. God did “dwell” among His people through the tabernacle/temple but it was certainly not to the degree that we get to enjoy His presence.
Philippians 4:4-7 ESV
Now that… is a glorious reason to rejoice. Although COVID may have taken some things from us, it did not and cannot take Jesus from us. Nothing will ever come in between our relationship with God. He has promised to come and dwell among every believer to the glory of His amazing grace… and THAT my friends… is the reason we rejoice.
John Piper

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I have been listening a lot to two songs that have helped me personally with focusing my joy to be IN the Lord and not in the things around me: the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” and Keith Greene’s “Lord You’re Beautiful”. It is very good to find that as we lose much around us that brings us happiness, we can indeed gain much above us in praising and rejoicing in our God. Thanks for this good post! Shalom, Jane
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