Be Joyful :-)

Read Philippians 1:1-26

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy…”
(Philippians 1:4)

Thoughts… Anyone who reads Philippians quickly realizes that “joy” is the overriding theme in Paul’s letter.

As the letter begins, Paul is filled with joy in his prayer for the Philippians because of their willing partnership with him in the proclamation of the Gospel. Not only had they heard and received the Good News, they had joined Paul in the mission of proclaiming and advancing the Good News. They had even helped Paul finance his missionary efforts (4:15-16). There was a wonderful partnership between this pastor and his people that was a source of great joy for Paul.

Now that doesn’t imply that everything was perfect in Philippi! It wasn’t. But Paul was still full of joy.

That’s interesting because the circumstances of both the writer and the recipients were not the kind you would expect to produce much joy. Paul wrote this letter while he was in jail of all places. In fact, there was very little of Paul’s post-conversion life that would have been expected to produce joy. From the outset, Paul had experienced:

…Rejection from his countrymen

…Caution from his new Christian friends…

…Beatings and imprisonments (one of which happened right here in a Philippian jail)

…Shipwreck, backstabbing, abandonment, stoning and a death sentence…

In fact, as he writes Philippians, he is in his fourth year of Roman custody, awaiting Emperor Nero’s final decision.

Yet Paul had everything he needed for joy! How could that be? What was the secret to Paul’s joy?

Paul didn’t confuse happiness with joy. Happiness is based on happenstance, on happenings; joy is based in God. If the fleeting feeling of exhilaration we call happiness is elusive, joy is not. Biblical joy is the settled conviction that God sovereignly controls the events of life for the believer’s good and for God’s glory. This is the kind of joy Paul had, and it is the kind of joy that is the theme of Philippians.

And these Philippians have had their share of problems, too:

…They are desperately poor, so much so that Paul was surprised at their contribution to the offering he was collecting for the poor in Jerusalem. (II Corinthians 8:1-5)

…They were being persecuted for the cause of Christ. (vv. 27-30)

…They were being assaulted by false teachers. (3:2, 18-19)

…The unity of the church was being threatened by two prominent women who were at odds with each other. (4:2-3)

Yet Paul tells these hard-pressed believers that they have everything they need for joy.

In spite of these circumstances of both writer and recipients, joy permeates so much of Philippians that it has become known as the letter of joy. One commentator, R.C.H. Lenski, writes, “Joy is the music that runs through this epistle, the sunshine that spreads over all of it. The whole letter radiates joy…”

And so should you! Your whole life should radiate joy!

So just how is joy produced in our lives? It is said that as Benjamin Franklin concluded a stirring speech on the guarantees of the Constitution, a heckler shouted, “Those words don’t mean nothin’. Where’s all the happiness you say it guarantees us?” Franklin replied, “My friend, the Constitution only guarantees the right to pursue happiness; you have to catch it yourself.”

The Bible speaks of seven ways you can catch joy.

First, you catch joy by practicing God’s presence. David declared in Psalm 16:11, “In your presence is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forever.”

Second, you catch joy by hearing God’s voice. Jesus told his disciples, “These things I have spoken to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (John 15:11)

Third, you catch joy by obeying God’s Word. David begins the Psalms by writing, “Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God. Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2)

Fourth, you catch joy by yielding to God’s Spirit. Paul says in I Thessalonians 5:6, “you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” And we know from Galatians 5:22 that “the fruit of the Spirit is…joy…”

Fifth, you catch joy by sharing God’s truth. John wrote in I John 1:3-4, “We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it … Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!” (The Message)

Sixth, you catch joy by embracing God’s plan. And that includes embracing the part of his plan that includes trials. James writes, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” II Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

Seventh, you catch joy by trusting God’s work in your life. Right here in this first chapter of Philippians is one of the outstanding and most profound thoughts in the Bible, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (v. 6) God always finishes what he begins, and that should be a cause for great joy in our hearts.

Michelangelo, the great Italian Renaissance artist, once said, “Do not fret, for God did not create us to abandon us.” Michelangelo knew something about starting and finishing works of art. God leaves no work unfinished. The God who saved you, who begin a good work in you, will complete it!

And because of that, you have everything you need for joy!

Max Lucado tells the moving story of a man named Robert Reed, who was fond of saying: “I have everything I need for joy”, which was amazing given that he had cerebral palsy. He couldn’t bathe or feed himself, or brush his teeth, comb his hair or put on his underwear. His shirts were held together by Velcro strips; his speech was slurred

Yet Robert from graduated Abilene Christian University with a degree in Latin. After college, Robert moved to Lisbon — alone — rented a room and begin studying Portuguese. He found a restaurant owner who would feed him and a tutor to help him master the language.Then he stationed himself daily in a park, where he handed out Gospel tracts. In 6 years, he led 70 people to Christ, one became his wife, Rosa.

Robert became a motivational speaker. Whenever he spoke, he would have to be carried in his wheelchair onto the stage, where he would lay his Bible in his lap, and force his stiff fingers to open the pages as he began to force the words from a mind and a mouth that weren’t in sync. But each time be began to share, invariably his audience would have to wipe away their tears as they listened to a man who could have given into despair and misery, yet instead would thrust his bent hands into the air and shout, “I have everything I need for joy!”

And so do you!

Prayer… Lord, you give me joy unspeakable and full of glory. You have saved me from my sin and given me eternal life. You began a work in me, and you have promised to complete it. What you begin, you finish. I was a mess when you found me, but you have turned me into a masterpiece for your glory. Because of you, I have everything I need for joy.

One More Thing… “When was the last time you laughed for the sheer joy of your salvation? People are not attracted to somber doctrines. There is no persuasive power in a gloomy and morbid religion. Let the world see your joy and you won’t be able to keep them away. To be filled with God is to be filled with joy.” —Anonymous