Join in the Joy
Through the years, I have frequently preached about joy. It is more than an emotion (although it includes emotion); rather, it is a settled attitude, a stable and sturdy approach to life that focuses us on the things that matter now and forever. Joy is much greater and much more powerful than happiness, which is event or circumstance driven. There is nothing wrong with happiness. It is certainly better than unhappiness. Also, we have different personalities. For example, my wife is happy-go-lucky. Of course, she has every reason to be, being married to me. However, not everyone can be married to me. We need something more substantial than happiness; that something is joy. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Philippians 4:1 is a soaring, stirring verse: “Therefore, my brethren beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.” Paul is unashamed of his genuine affection for the Philippian believers; he is almost overwhelmed with love and overcome with joy as he thinks about them. As we have seen, they (like Paul) were not perfect and had real problems. Still, Paul’s regard for them mightily strengthened his spirit and mind; his faith could not fluctuate as he focused upon the features of this fellowship of friends. Some years ago, an older man told me, with some embarrassment, that he often found himself tearing up as he thought about other Christians and prayed for them. I assured him that he was not weak; no, he was strong in his concern and compassion. May we all be as “weak” as that man!