Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Weddings are supposed to be happy occasions.

Generally, they are.

But I do remember one wedding which had all the earmarks of catastrophe. The wedding was that of Nicole Contos. Nicole was supposed to be married in a Manhattan church.

Nicole showed up. Two-hundred fifty of her guests showed up. There was only one person who didn't make an appearance. Yup, you guessed it. The groom was nowhere to be found.

Nobody knew where the groom was, at least not that day. Later, it was discovered he had headed to Tahiti where he and his bride had planned to honeymoon.

So, Nicole was stuck with a $100,000 reception and no wedding. What did she do? She did the only thing she could do. She said, "The food is ready, the drink is ready. We're going to have a party." And she did.

Nicole accurately reflects the attitude of Christians who understand Paul's words which serve as the basis for today's devotion: "Rejoice always." Each of us has had times, moments when life threw us a curve; when all our plans turned to dust. What should we do?

Rejoice evermore!

Hard to do? Not if you remember that you are saved. Because of Jesus' innocent suffering and death; because of His gracious sacrifice, all who believe on Him as their Redeemer are forgiven; they are saved; they are blessed.

So, from one blessed person to another, "let's rejoice evermore."


From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"



THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, You know the difficulties that are charging down on me. Lift me up, and help me to not forget that I can always rejoice evermore...no matter what the circumstances. In Your Name I ask it. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Isaiah 43-44    Romans 8:1-21

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