Now may the God of hope fill you with complete JOY and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 EHV)
Have you ever found yourself “stuck” in a Bible verse? It bothers, pesters, and generally harasses you because it has something to say. It “gets in your craw,” so to speak, and keeps reminding you to study it or live it or pray it or…whatever. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 has been doing that for me. I expect there’s a lot these three tiny verses have to say, if we (I) listen. Here are those verses in several different translations.
Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (NLT)
Rejoice always and delight in your faith; 17 be unceasing and persistent in prayer; 18 in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. (AMP)
Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (ESV)
Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that you do this. (GW)
Rejoice always. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (EHV)
Each of these seems similar, but each gives a little different perspective on what the Apostle Paul is trying to say. We could boil it down to “Always rejoice, always pray, always give thanks,” but we’d lose some of the nuances of the verses. Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) says that “The word of God is living and active.” Living things can’t be reduced to the sum of their chemistry and physics, just as a Bible verse can’t be reduced to strictly its words; we must look at its Spirit-infused nature.
For today, let’s just focus on verse 16. Most of the translations of this verse say either “Rejoice always” or “Always be joyful.” To me there is a subtle but important difference in these two ideas. The first is an imperative – a command – to DO something. We are called to “feel or show great joy or delight.” (Oxford Dictionary). “Rejoice always” is an action. The second seems more passive to me. “Always be joyful.” To “be” something is not active, it is a state of being.
Why would the translators use these two very different ways of expressing the original thought? I wonder if we are to do both. Perhaps we are to recognize that it is the action of rejoicing that leads to the state of being joyful. Although there are some circumstances that easily lead to joyful feelings, the act of rejoicing is a choice. (Not always an easy one, though.) When we make that choice, then we are “always being joyful.” Or, to look at it from the opposite perspective, the only way we can BE joyful is to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that the fruits of the Holy Spirit – especially joy – are within us. Then, when we are filled with Holy Spirit’s JOY we can easily and simply “rejoice always,” like a pitcher overflows when it’s filled with water, we overflow with rejoicing when we are filled with joy.
Either way, today let us rejoice always and always be joyful!
God of Hope, Peace, and Joy,
Thank you for your Holy Spirit within us that is continually pulling us deeper towards you. Thank you for the fruit of joy within us. Help us to rejoice in your Goodness, not matter our circumstances. Help us to be joyful, we ask in Jesus’s name, AMEN.
“ But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23 EHV)