I hope that you had just as great a time at Homecoming as I did! (Those of you who weren't able to make it, we missed you!!!)The Holy Spirit was definitely with us in the service. I extend a big "thank you" to anyone who ministered during the service, invited friends, cooked, cleaned the church/surroundings, prepared beforehand, and/or cleaned up afterward! This day would not be possible without your help! Congratulations to our 2025 Homecoming queens who brought guests with them!

As we lean into the June focus of celebration, I encourage you to begin small. Of course, each day can't be a full-on streamers and cake kind of day, but we can do a couple of things to add celebration to our lives. First, celebrate the small things. Were you able to get good rest? That's worth celebrating! Did you eat the first fruit or vegetable from your garden? Rejoice! Second, make special days special. There are plenty of days on the church calendar that we can celebrate corporately, but you can also celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or even a day off. Calm down the busyness and celebrate the life that you have been graciously given!

It’s easy to rejoice when everything is going well, but it takes faith to rejoice when times are hard. First Thessalonians 5:16 tells us to “rejoice always,” but what exactly does that mean? The Bible gives us many wonderful reasons to rejoice — and one major reason is that God lives inside us. Whether you’re facing difficulties today or not — you can choose to rejoice!

Why Should We Rejoice?

Considering the difficult times we’re living in, it might seem impossible to always rejoice. Even when we find ourselves in trying situations, what reasons do we have to rejoice? Look at Psalm 43:4 as an example. It says:

Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.

The psalmist called God his “exceeding joy.” Is God your exceeding joy? If not, read this passage again and let this truth sink into your heart. God is your exceeding joy.

Verse 5 continues:

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

This is so powerful! Life will often bring many opportunities for you to be discouraged, negative, or disengaged, but this verse declares that God is the help of your countenance. Let’s take a closer look at what that means.

Whatever emotions you’re feeling will likely show on your face. But the truth found in Psalm 43:4 is that God is the help of your countenance. If you are downcast, God will help you. He will help you show His joy on your face because according to His Word, He is the help of your countenance, and you can depend on Him!

Four Reasons To Rejoice

Why should you “rejoice always?” As mentioned above, you can rejoice because God is the help of your countenance and your exceeding joy. Let’s look at two more reasons the Bible gives us to rejoice.

In Genesis 15:1, God says to Abraham, “...I am your shield, and I am your great reward.” How amazing is that? God is not only your exceeding joy and the help of your countenance, but He is also your shield and great reward. What a wonderful God we serve!

God isn’t just a God who stays far away — He lives inside you. When you were born again, His spirit came to live in you, and therefore, He will always be with you. That means your exceeding joy literally lives in you, the help of your countenance lives in you, and your shield and great reward live in you! And if God and all His goodness live inside you, you can’t separate yourself from Him.

When hard times come, we have to acknowledge His goodness that is in us by Christ Jesus and rejoice about it. We must use our faith and say, “I have my exceeding joy, my shield, and my great reward inside me. And because God is in me, I will rejoice!”

Rejoicing in Difficult Times

Every one of us will encounter difficult people in life — those who mock, criticize, and try to intimidate us. But the Greater One — the glory and lifter of your head — lives inside you (see Psalm 3:3). And that is why you can rejoice just like First Thessalonians 5:16 tells you to.

Denise made this powerful statement in one of her programs: “I’m convinced that in these last days, we’re going to have to use our faith more and rejoice more — even in difficult situations.” There might be moments when the people around you are struggling to remain in a place of joy, but it’s important that you choose to rejoice and continue to trust in God.

This is the kind of attitude we all need to have. We must decide to have an attitude of rejoicing that says, “I am going to keep rejoicing no matter what. My God is my shield, my God is the lifter of my head, and my God ismy glory, so I’m not giving up!”

Questions to Consider:

1. What role does joy have in your daily life? Is “rejoicing always” something that comes easily to you?
2. Has there been a time in your life when you faced something difficult and didn’t want to rejoice? What was it like for you, and what helped you through that tough time?
3. What is a characteristic of God you’re grateful for? Take a moment to write this down, pray, and thank God for this attribute of His character.