Joy

• The Apostle Paul wrote of joy and rejoicing constantly throughout his New Testament epistles. Toward the end of his letter to the Philippian church, he gives his most emphatic command to have joy, saying, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”

• Amazingly, Paul wrote Philippians from a Roman jail cell facing death, after years of persecution, hardship, and suffering. It’s hard to fathom a man who was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, abandoned, abused, and wronged in the most unimaginable ways talking about joy in the midst of all that suffering.

• Too often, we confuse the words joy and happiness. Happiness is based on our circumstances, which can change in an instant. A child is happy with their birthday presents, but that happiness is gone the moment mom and dad ask him to clean up the mess!

• Joy is different. It is a state of being rather than an emotion. It comes from within and is therefore not dependent on exterior circumstances. We can have joy and rejoice even when the skies are dark, the diagnosis is grim, and the problems are pressing in.

• We can rejoice regardless of trials we face, because joy comes from abiding in the Lord. Yet, we still need to be reminded to rejoice. Paul and the other scripture writers are constantly reminding us to have joy, be joyful, and rejoice.

• God has been so good to his people, sending his own son Jesus to die in our place so that we can become his beloved children. His Spirit dwells within us, giving us joy that could never be found in the trivial, fleeting pleasures of this world. In that we can rejoice again and again!