“Rejoice evermore.” 1st Thessalonians 5:16

Rejoice means to actively give thanks to God in a joyful way.

A simple breakdown of the word “evermore” tells us that we are not only to rejoice every day, we are to rejoice MORE everyday!

It is easy to rejoice in times of peace and prosperity but we should also rejoice in the love of God even when things are not going that well in our lives.

The Lord went so far as to tell us to even rejoice when we are persecuted for doing good things! This is a high calling but not an impossible one. The Lord would never ask us to do the impossible.

The source of hardship may be our own doing or the temptation of the devil. It may also be God’s chastening hand on us to bring us out of sin. Whatever the source, we can know this, God will never leave us nor forsake us. God is aware of our troubles. God is WITH us even when we are hurting. Therefore, we can rejoice IN the trial and not just after it has ended.