Hi Brian,


The word for this week is "rejoice"! There are a few different Hebrew and Greek words translated rejoice in the Bible, but we're just going to look at one verse from the Old Testament and one verse from the New Testament. The first one is Psalm 105:3:


3 Glory ye in His holy Name: Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.


This is the Hebrew word "samach", which means: to rejoice, be glad, exult; from Strong's Concordance. Gesenius's Hebrew Lexicon says: to have a joyful, cheerful countenance, even used of louder expressions of joy such as those who make merry with wine or utter merry cries. The New Testament verse is Philippians 4:4:


4 Rejoice in the Lord alway, [and] again I say rejoice.


This is the Greek word "chairo", which means: to rejoice exceedingly, be glad, to be well, to thrive; from Strong's Concordance.


The dictionary definition is: to be glad, to take delight. Some synonyms are: joy, exult, jubilate, triumph, revel, glory.


Although some Christians like to be quiet in their response to the Lord, there MUST be times when we "let it all out" in joy towards Him, IF we want to obey the Word! I like to make sure I take some time every day to just shout for joy and be thankful for all the good things that I am so grateful for in my life! When I do that, the good things just keep coming! I can live with THAT! Here is the song "Run" from Hillsong United that's a great example of rejoicing!

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!