Do we believe this?  God wants us to be free, to be all that we want to be, and so much more, but we have to believe this.

How do you show that you believe this? You live this way, putting your belief into action, praising God for your freedom, and refusing to let the things of the world to have a hold on you.

Then Jesus will show up in your life, so that you can realize that you are actually free, despite what is going on around you!

This weekend we will celebrate Memorial Day, where we remember those who died so that we can be free.  That is something to be thankful for and to rejoice about. It's why we celebrate on this day.

God says though in this verse that we should rejoice always, not just on certain days or occasions. I think that is a problem way too often. We tend to rejoice for a set time instead of always.  Then we go back to worrying, complaining, being fearful, anxious, and depressed. Do you want these negative habits to end?  Then choose to rejoice more. Try rejoicing always! 

When you are rejoicing it does three things.  1. It allows you to get your mind off the problem and onto the solution.  2. It prompts God to work on your behalf so that you can continue to rejoice always.  3. It shows those who come against you, that they can’t steal your joy.

When you rejoice, you always feel better. You may think that rejoicing always is too hard, because tough things happen, a lot by the way, but it's what God instructs us to do. 

Rejoicing is not fun alone.  It's much better with friends.  So, when life is tough, call someone up and ask them to celebrate with you.  It's so much easier to do with more people!  They will help you.

Matthew 26:50: "But Jesus said to him, 'Friend, why have you come?' Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him."

Judas has just come with the soldiers to betray Jesus with a kiss.  Jesus responds, by calling Judas friend. 

If someone betrays you, I am sure that you are not thinking of them as a friend at the moment.  I am sure other words come to mind. 

One more thing, Jesus knew this was coming, so He had plenty of time to prepare a response, and again He looks at Judas, smiles, and says, friend.

Why is this such an important verse?  At some point in our Christian walk, we will realize in our minds that we have let Jesus down.  We will think that Jesus can’t love us anymore.  We will wonder if we are worth it to Him. 

The bad news is, Jesus won’t call you friend.  The Good News is, when you come humbly to Him, He will lift your head and look at you, and because of the resurrection, say, "My Child, I love you. What can I do for you today?"