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"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13, NIV).
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Sustaining Joy
by Skip Heitzig
The Letter to the Philippians was written by a prisoner, so at first it may seem strange that the keynote of the book is joy. After serving a two-year prison sentence in Caesarea, Paul was now in prison in Rome. But he wrote about joy. Either he was lying or he knew something that we need to learn.
Missionary E. Stanley Jones wrote, "The Stoic endures trouble; the Hindu accepts; the [Muslim] submits; the Buddhist takes it as inevitable; only the Christian exults in the midst of trouble." Do you exult? Do you have a sense of rejoicing in your life?
In Philippians Paul twice wrote: "Rejoice in the Lord" (Philippians 3:1, 4:4, NIV). If someone who had no background in suffering, no years of experience, no prison sentence, just said, "Don't worry, be happy," it would sound shallow. However, in this case it's powerful, because the author has suffered beatings, imprisonment, stoning and shipwreck.
In Philippians 3:1, in the original Greek, the verse is rendered, "Be constantly rejoicing." This prisoner is saying, "Be constantly, as a manner of lifestyle, rejoicing." This means that joy is something set apart from our circumstances. Joy has to do with what's going on inside us.
Joy needs to be guarded -- it's easy to lose our perspective and go through life with our eyes on the wrong things. We need to focus on our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Joy is not an automatic response. Joy is a choice, and it is a learned response. Paul wrote, "I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content" (Philippians 4:11, NKJV). Paul says that we learn to be joyful.
It wouldn't make sense if Paul said, "Rejoice in your circumstances," because some circumstances in our lives are not worth rejoicing about. Joy is not just putting on a smile. If I drop a typewriter on my foot and break my foot, I don't say, "Praise the Lord! I broke my foot." But despite mishaps, we can choose to rejoice in the Lord Jesus. Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. ... These things I have spoken to you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:5,11, NKJV).
We need to remind ourselves that God is still on the throne and that "in all things God really does work together for good for those who love Him" (Cf. Romans 8:28).
Paul wrote, "Rejoice in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:3, NKJV). Here the word "rejoice," in the original Greek, means "to brag" or "to boast in." That's what Paul was saying: "I'm not bragging about what I've done. I'm not bragging about being a Jewish person. I'm not bragging about my circumcision. I'm bragging about Jesus Christ. I rejoice in Him. Look at what He has done" (Cf. Philippians 3:3-4).
Circumstances change, and we may not know when difficult times will come. However, through our relationship with Jesus, we can have joy, even in times of suffering. Then, as Paul did, we too can say, "I'm rejoicing in Christ. Look at what He has done!" (Cf. Philippians 3:3-4).
Prayer
Lord, thank You for Your gift of salvation to us. We know that no matter what problems we face, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. As we seek to share this Good News with the world, help us to rejoice in Your goodness. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
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Sustaining Joy
by Skip Heitzig
The Letter to the Philippians was written by a prisoner, so at first it may seem strange that the keynote of the book is joy. After serving a two-year prison sentence in Caesarea, Paul was now in prison in Rome. But he wrote about joy. Either he was lying or he knew something that we need to learn.
Missionary E. Stanley Jones wrote, "The Stoic endures trouble; the Hindu accepts; the [Muslim] submits; the Buddhist takes it as inevitable; only the Christian exults in the midst of trouble." Do you exult? Do you have a sense of rejoicing in your life?
In Philippians Paul twice wrote: "Rejoice in the Lord" (Philippians 3:1, 4:4, NIV). If someone who had no background in suffering, no years of experience, no prison sentence, just said, "Don't worry, be happy," it would sound shallow. However, in this case it's powerful, because the author has suffered beatings, imprisonment, stoning and shipwreck.
In Philippians 3:1, in the original Greek, the verse is rendered, "Be constantly rejoicing." This prisoner is saying, "Be constantly, as a manner of lifestyle, rejoicing." This means that joy is something set apart from our circumstances. Joy has to do with what's going on inside us.
Joy needs to be guarded -- it's easy to lose our perspective and go through life with our eyes on the wrong things. We need to focus on our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Joy is not an automatic response. Joy is a choice, and it is a learned response. Paul wrote, "I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content" (Philippians 4:11, NKJV). Paul says that we learn to be joyful.
It wouldn't make sense if Paul said, "Rejoice in your circumstances," because some circumstances in our lives are not worth rejoicing about. Joy is not just putting on a smile. If I drop a typewriter on my foot and break my foot, I don't say, "Praise the Lord! I broke my foot." But despite mishaps, we can choose to rejoice in the Lord Jesus. Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. ... These things I have spoken to you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:5,11, NKJV).
We need to remind ourselves that God is still on the throne and that "in all things God really does work together for good for those who love Him" (Cf. Romans 8:28).
Paul wrote, "Rejoice in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:3, NKJV). Here the word "rejoice," in the original Greek, means "to brag" or "to boast in." That's what Paul was saying: "I'm not bragging about what I've done. I'm not bragging about being a Jewish person. I'm not bragging about my circumcision. I'm bragging about Jesus Christ. I rejoice in Him. Look at what He has done" (Cf. Philippians 3:3-4).
Circumstances change, and we may not know when difficult times will come. However, through our relationship with Jesus, we can have joy, even in times of suffering. Then, as Paul did, we too can say, "I'm rejoicing in Christ. Look at what He has done!" (Cf. Philippians 3:3-4).
Prayer
Lord, thank You for Your gift of salvation to us. We know that no matter what problems we face, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. As we seek to share this Good News with the world, help us to rejoice in Your goodness. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.