This Rejoice & Praise God Sunday Open Thread, with full respect to those who worship God on the Sabbath, is a place to reaffirm our worship of our Creator, our Father, our King Eternal.

It’s also a place to read, post, and discuss news that is worth knowing and sharing. Please post links to any news stories that you use as sources or quote from.

In the QTree, we’re a friendly and civil lot. We encourage free speech and the open exchange and civil discussion of different ideas. Topics aren’t constrained, and sound logic is highly encouraged, all built on a solid foundation of truth and established facts.

We have a policy of mutual respect, shown by civility. Civility encourages discussions, promotes objectivity and rational thought in discourse, and camaraderie in the participants – characteristics we strive toward in our Q Tree community.

Please show respect and consideration for our fellow QTreepers. Before hitting the “post” button, please proofread your post and make sure your opinion addresses the issue only, and does not confront or denigrate the poster. Keep to the topic – avoid “you” and “your”. Here in The Q Tree, personal attacks, name-calling, ridicule, insults, baiting, and other conduct for which a penalty flag would be thrown are VERBOTEN.

In The Q Tree, we’re compatriots, sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores, and discussing, agreeing, and disagreeing about whatever interests us. This board will remain a home for those who seek respectful conversations.

Please also consider the Guidelines for posting and discussion printed here: 
https://www.theqtree.com/2019/01/01/dear-maga-open-topic-20190101/

On this day and every day –

God is in Control
. . . and His Grace is Sufficient, so . . .
Keep Looking Up

Hopefully, every Sunday, we can find something here that will build us up a little . . . give us a smile . . . and add some joy or peace, very much needed in all our lives.

“This day is holy to the Lord your God;
do not mourn nor weep.” . . .
“Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet,
and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared;
for this day is holy to our Lord.
Do not sorrow,
for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God is . . . righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God.

Paul says in Romans verse 14:17, “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Then in verse 18 Paul confirms that serving Christ like that is indeed a manifestation of God’s Kingdom because it pleases God. “Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”

What does Paul mean by “Kingdom of God”

This is the only place in the book of Romans where Paul uses the word “kingdom.” But he uses it elsewhere and we can know what he means by “Kingdom of God.” Four clarifications:

1) First, he means the reign of God, not the realm of God. We tend to think of a kingdom as a place. But for Jesus and for Paul it almost never has that meaning. Rather it means the reign or the rule of God. You can see that here: Where the Holy Spirit is bringing about righteousness and peace and joy, the Kingdom (that is, the reign of God) is being manifested.

2) The Kingdom of God refers to His saving reign, not to His total providence over all things. In one sense God reigns over all. So you could call everything “God’s Kingdom.” But that is clearly not the way Paul uses the term. The Kingdom of God is God’s redemptive reign. His saving reign. When Jesus said to pray, “Hallowed by your name, your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6: 9-10), He meant that the coming of the Kingdom would be the extent of God’s rule where His name is hallowed and His will is done the way angels do it—obediently and joyfully. So the Kingdom of God is God’s reign, not realm; and it’s His saving, redeeming reign bringing about the hallowing of His name and the joyful doing of His will.

3) The Kingdom of God is fulfilled partially in the present and will be consummated at the end of the age when Christ comes a second time. Paul speaks of unbelievers not inheriting the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9), and so treats the Kingdom as yet future. But then he also says to believers that “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son,” and so treats the Kingdom as already present.

4) The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Christ are the same. He says in Ephesians 5:5, “Everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous . . . has no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.” There is one Kingdom, and it’s the Kingdom of Christ and of God. So to serve the Kingdom of God is to serve Christ, and to serve Christ is to serve the Kingdom of God.

So Paul is saying in verse 16, Don’t use your good—your good faith and your good liberty—to hurt anyone. Don’t put that much weight on eating and drinking. It’s not that crucial. Why? He answers in verse 17: Because “the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

The saving, redeeming, sanctifying rule of God—the Kingdom of God—has broken into this world in Jesus Christ, the Messiah—the King—and the evidence of His rule in your lives is not eating and drinking. You may think that your liberty to eat all things is what God’s Kingdom produces. But that’s not quite right. What the Kingdom produces is something far deeper and larger than how you use your liberty to eat.

Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit (v. 17)

What does Paul mean that “the Kingdom of God is . . . righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”? That is not immediately obvious because Paul uses at least two of these terms in more than one way. Righteousness can mean the righteousness that God imputes to us when He declares us righteous through faith even when we are guilty sinners (Romans 4:5). And it can mean the righteousness that He then, on the basis of that right standing, begins to work in us (Romans 6:13, 16, 18, 19, 20). And peace can mean the peace that we have with God (Romans 5:1) or the peace we have with each other (2 Corinthians 13:11).

Paul has in mind the second kind of righteousness and peace—namely, the kind that God works in us in relationship to each other. But it may be that he wants us to think of both and remember that our practical righteousness and peace that we work out with each other is built on the perfect righteousness that He imputes to us by faith alone and the peace that we enjoy with him.

It’s remarkable how similar this sequence of righteousness, peace, and joy is with the sequence of thought in Romans 5:1-2. “Since we have been justified by faith [that is, declared righteous!], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” So there is righteousness imputed through faith, peace with God, and joy in the hope of His glory.

Paul is probably referring to our practical lived-out righteousness (rather than the imputed righteousness of Christ) and the practical-lived out peace with each other is the phrase “in the Holy Spirit.” “The Kingdom of God is . . . righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” This seems to mean that the Holy Spirit is working these things right now. He is ruling in us to make us more righteous, more peaceable, and more joyful. This seems to be the fruit of the Spirit now, not a declarative act back at the beginning of our Christian lives. This work is built on justification by faith. But now the Spirit is producing in us these things: righteousness, peace, and joy.

That, Paul says, is the Kingdom of God. In other words, the work of the Holy Spirit and the advancing of the Kingdom of God are the same thing. This is exactly what we saw in the ministry of Jesus, for example, in Matthew 12:28. Jesus said, “If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” The work of the Spirit is the presence of the Kingdom of God. Or to say it another way: The reign of God is exercised through His Spirit.

So when the Spirit rules and conquers our selfishness and pride, and replaces it with Christlike righteousness, then we will not grieve and destroy a brother for the sake of food. The Spirit of God—the Kingdom of God—creates righteousness and peace and joy. This is what the Spirit of God does. He creates righteousness and peace and joy. And when you have these, you don’t grieve and destroy a weaker brother.

Serving Christ in This Way Is Pleasing to God (v. 18)

Then in verse 18 Paul confirms this by explaining that what he has just said is in fact what pleases God. “Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God.” That is, whoever serves Christ in the way that verse 17 just described is pleasing to God.

What did verse 17 say? It said that righteousness comes “in the Holy Spirit.” And when it comes “in —or by—the Holy Spirit,” it’s the Kingdom of God coming. So if you serve Christ that way, you please God. What does that mean? What is it here that pleases God?

What pleases God is not just when we serve Christ—not just when we try to do the righteousness that He commands—but when we do it in a certain way. And that way is described in verse 17 as “in the Holy Spirit.”

There is a way to serve Christ that would dishonor Christ. That’s why Jesus said in Mark 10:45, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” There is a way to serve Christ that would dishonor him. And there is a way to serve God that would dishonor God. That’s why Paul said in Acts 17:25, “God is not served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”

Christ and God are dishonored if we serve with the mindset that they need us, and are dependent on us instead of us being dependent on them for life and breath and ransom and everything. What pleases God is when He is shown to be the giver in our service of him. If we serve God as though we are the giver and He is the needy one, He is not pleased. It makes Him look needy and dependent. But He is not.

So verse 18 says, “Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God.” That is, whoever serves Christ—obeys Christ, pursues the righteousness that He commands—in the way described in verse 17 is pleasing to God. Namely, the one who depends on the Holy Spirit for what he pursues. The one who serves with the deep and happy confidence that God is always serving us in our service of Him. He always remains the supplier. Always.

A text that is frequently prayed is 1 Peter 4:11. Peter exhorts each of us to be “one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” Serve with the expectation that the strength to serve will come from God. Then God will get all the glory. Do we want our serving to be an expression of His Kingdom or of our power?

What pleases God, is when our serving is the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. This is why the writer to the Hebrews closed his book with this benediction, “Now may the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

God works in us what is pleasing in His sight. And the fact that He works it in us is part of what makes it pleasing in His sight.

The Kingdom of God is not food and drink. It is righteousness, peace, and joy which come by the powerful working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The one who serves Christ in this way—depending on the work of the Spirit for all the help you need and renouncing all self-reliance—pleases God and manifests His Kingdom in the church and extends His Kingdom in the world.

So then, let us, as verse 19 says, “Let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” Don’t flaunt our freedom. Love our brothers and sisters. And do it not in our own strength, but in the Holy Spirit. This is the Kingdom of God. This is His rule in our midst.
https://www.gotquestions.org/kingdom-of-God.html

This Rejoice & Praise God Sunday Open Thread, with full respect to those who worship God on the Sabbath, is a place to reaffirm our worship of our Creator, our Father, our King Eternal.

It’s also a place to read, post, and discuss news that is worth knowing and sharing. Please post links to any news stories that you use as sources or quote from.

In the QTree, we’re a friendly and civil lot. We encourage free speech and the open exchange and civil discussion of different ideas. Topics aren’t constrained, and sound logic is highly encouraged, all built on a solid foundation of truth and established facts.

We have a policy of mutual respect, shown by civility. Civility encourages discussions, promotes objectivity and rational thought in discourse, and camaraderie in the participants – characteristics we strive toward in our Q Tree community.

Please show respect and consideration for our fellow QTreepers. Before hitting the “post” button, please proofread your post and make sure your opinion addresses the issue only, and does not confront or denigrate the poster. Keep to the topic – avoid “you” and “your”. Here in The Q Tree, personal attacks, name-calling, ridicule, insults, baiting, and other conduct for which a penalty flag would be thrown are VERBOTEN.

In The Q Tree, we’re compatriots, sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores, and discussing, agreeing, and disagreeing about whatever interests us. This board will remain a home for those who seek respectful conversations.

Please also consider the Guidelines for posting and discussion printed here: 
https://www.theqtree.com/2019/01/01/dear-maga-open-topic-20190101/

On this day and every day –

God is in Control
. . . and His Grace is Sufficient, so . . .
Keep Looking Up

Hopefully, every Sunday, we can find something here that will build us up a little . . . give us a smile . . . and add some joy or peace, very much needed in all our lives.

“This day is holy to the Lord your God;
do not mourn nor weep.” . . .
“Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet,
and send portions to those
for whom nothing is prepared;
for this day is holy to our Lord.
Do not sorrow,
for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

REJOICE!!!

For most of the culture today, it appears that joy is elusive.

Turning to entertainment, impurity, drugs, sports, relationships, shopping, or whatever else – all in the hope of finding deep soul satisfaction. Perhaps it’s the confusion that joy is an emotion – a desire to find continual happiness – and thus always on the search for the next emotional high. But the only way we’re going to experience joy is when we realize the source of it is not in circumstances, situations, or emotions. The source of joy is God Himself. He is the fullness of joy.

Psalm 16:11 tells us “You [God] make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

The fullness of joy is found in the presence of God … nowhere else.

Paul tells us in Galatians that joy is a fruit of the Spirit (5:22). Joy is not something we produce or whip up – joy is something that comes as a natural outflow of having the Spirit of God residing within us. When we’re in Christ and He is in us, we find the fruit of His Spirit being produced within us.

Regardless of circumstance, situation, or trial – we can have joy within our lives because we set our gaze on Christ and declare our trust in Him, no matter what we face. It was from a prison cell that Paul commands us to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

Again, joy is not about emotions, feelings, circumstances, or trials – it’s about a steadfast trust in our God amidst the difficulties.

Three times Paul explicitly commands believers to rejoice. 

• Philippians 3:1a – Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. …
• Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

In all three verses above, the main verb (“rejoice”) is in the present, active, imperative. An imperative is a command – so we’re commanded to “rejoice always.” The active voice tells us that we’re responsible for the action – we’re commanded to choose joy and rejoice always. And the present tense in Greek is the idea of the “ever-present tense” – in other words, this action should always happen. 

So Paul commands us to choose joy every moment of our lives. We’re to rejoice regardless of circumstance, situation, or emotion.

How can we practically “rejoice always” in all situations, every moment of the day? Here are some reflections and ideas how …

We must know that God is the source of joy

True joy (and the fullness of it) comes from God alone. He is the fullness of joy as Psalm 16:11 tells us “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

You can see this idea in our passage in Philippians 4:4. The command is to rejoice “in the Lord.”  Our joy and rejoicing comes from and is found in Jesus. He is the source of all joy. And if the fullness of joy is found in His presence and He does not change (see Hebrews 13:8), then the only place we should ever seek joy is in Him.

Joy is a fruit … the natural outflow of the life of the Spirit within us

Joy is not something we produce within us, nor is it a facade or smile we put on to make people think we have joy. Joy is an evidence of the life of Christ within us.

When we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, what comes out is His “fruit” – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We don’t have to strive to replicate or produce it, it will naturally bear itself as long as we remain (abide) in Him. Just as a healthy tree doesn’t have to work, strive, or grit its teeth to produce fruit – if it’s a healthy tree, it’s guaranteed to produce fruit – because of the life within it.

We’re told in John 15, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. … Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing (John 15:1, 4-5).

The job description of the branch is not to produce fruit (that will come as a natural result of abiding) – the job description is staying/remaining/abiding in the vine. It’s only in the vine that the branch receives life. And when that branch abides (remains) in the life of the vine, it will bear fruit.

In the same way, God, through His Spirit, wants to produce (and be) the joy in our lives.

Joy will be evident in our lives when we abide in the source of life: Jesus. 

Joy is not about circumstances but a purposeful response amidst the circumstances

Being joyful doesn’t mean you need to be ignorant or ignore what’s going on around you, rather it’s about having the proper perspective amidst whatever life throws at you.

Joy is the set of the sail of the soul in the wind of circumstance. Joy is living from a new heavenly perspective.

When Paul commands us to rejoice always, he’s not giving us a cute phrase that we can put upon our refrigerator – he’s writing this with a beaten back sitting in a prison cell.

Paul knew great suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11:24–28, Paul recounts his struggles by saying, “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there’s the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”

Yet it same man who despite all those painful struggles, commands from a prison cell, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). Paul wasn’t ignorant of his situation or the pain he experienced, but rather determined to “leap for joy” no matter what he faced. 

Jesus gave the same commission in Luke 6:22-23, “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”

Rejoicing doesn’t have to make sense … but it does need to happen (always)

It’s encouraging that “rejoicing always” doesn’t always have to make sense. But whether joy makes sense in the situation or not, we’re still called to do it.

Because joy is not an emotion like happiness, we can rejoice even with tears in our eyes and sorrow in our soul. So whether we feel happy or sad, we’re still called to rejoice.

We must decide to rejoice in every moment – good, bad, or ugly – even if it doesn’t make sense … perhaps especially if it doesn’t make sense.

To rejoice is a command. We must obey.

There are times when we must command our minds or souls to come in alignment with truth. In the Psalms, you find that the Psalmist will do that very thing. For example in Psalm 42:11, the Psalmist asks himself, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” Rather than live in self-reflection or the despair, he commands his soul in the second half of the verse, “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Regardless of how we might feel, let us choose to obey the command to rejoice always, in all circumstances.

Joy increases with the increase of pressure (suffering, trial, persecution)

Joy has an interesting quality about itself – the more pressure we experience, the more joy should be produced.

When life presses us with pain, suffering, trials, hardships, or difficulty – that added pressure should only cause our joy to leap all the higher. Can we imagine living in such a way that the harder we’re squeezed, the more joy bubbles forth? Sound crazy? Perhaps. But it describes the life of a Christian.

Joy is a present declaration in our future hope (we rejoice because we know the future)

When we rejoice, it’s our present declaration in our future hope.  If we know the end of the story, and the hope that awaits every believer, we can rejoice regardless of what happens around us.

Jesus said, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). When we know where we’re going, we can rejoice! What if we lived with an eternal perspective – looking at our “momentary afflictions” in light of eternity?

• 1 Peter 4:13 – But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
• 1 Peter 5:10 – And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
• Romans 8:18 – For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
• 2 Corinthians 4:17 – For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
• Hebrews 12:11 – For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
• Hebrews 13:5b-6 – For He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Joy exposes and declares our focus and trust in God

What we rejoice in declares our focus.

When we experience God’s joy in our lives, it reveals that our focus is Jesus and that we trust in His provision and timing (even if we don’t see the results immediately).

We rejoice because we know trials and difficulty lead to maturity

When you see the end result of difficulty, you find yourself joyfully enduring it.

James tells us, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4).

Similarly, Paul says in Romans 5:3–4, “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope …”

When we face trials and difficulty, it produces steadfastness, endurance, character, and hope. In short, trials and hardships develop maturity in our lives. 

Joy is most evident (or seen more clearly) in our trials, sufferings, hardships, difficulties, and weaknesses

The best place to see if we’re rejoicing is not during times of ease. It’s easy to have joy when things go well … but joy is proven in difficulty. As pressure increases in our lives, so too our joy should expand and be seen more clearly

Paul rejoiced in his weaknesses because it was in his weakness that the power of God was made more evident (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). What if we saw trials, sufferings, hardships, difficulties, and weaknesses not as something to dread but something to rejoice in.

What the world needs now more than ever is to see believers not walking in fear or worry but rejoicing – especially with everything going on in our world.

We rejoice because we know God is King … and He has overcome the world

There is always a reason to rejoice because our God is King of kings and Lord of lords and He has overcome the world! He is the victor! He is the savior! He is King!

• Psalm 97:1 – The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
• John 16:33 – I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

We rejoice because God is a God of Joy

God is a God of joy.

• Psalm 16:11 – You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
• Zephaniah 3:17 – The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
• Nehemiah 8:10b – And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
• John 15:11 – These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

God does not want us to be conformed to the pattern and image of the world (Romans 12:2), rather we are to be conformed to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29). Since He is full of joy, so too our lives should ever be rejoicing!

Joy is to be a distinctive mark of a Christian

Is joy one of the distinctive marks in our lives?

We know Christians are supposed to be known for love (John 13:35) and Peter says that we’re to wear the clothing (the mark) of humility (1 Peter 5:5). In fact, all the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) are to be the evidence of the life of the Spirit within a believer – which means joy should be one of the “dominant themes” bearing itself out in our lives.

Paul reminds us that the Kingdom of God is one of joy (remember, He is a God of joy and His kingdom bears His nature) – “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

Let Us Rejoice Always

If joy isn’t an emotion nor based upon circumstances, then there’s every reason to “rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!”

Is that true in our lives?

Would we walk with God along His paths, in Whose presence is the fullness of joy, as He becomes our joy and bear that fruit in and through our lives?

As Isaiah wrote, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10).
deeperchristian.com/12-reflections-on-the-command-to-rejoice-always