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.)
We should share in the joy of others, really appreciating the goodnesses of God which bless the lives of fellow Christians. Yesterday, we studied Romans 12:15, which in part says, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice.” The Apostle Paul practiced what he penned. Romans 15:32 reveals Paul’s plans to peregrinate to Rome “that I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.” Two things stand out to me about this verse. First, Paul had never been to Rome. He knew of some of the Christians there (see the many names in chapter 16) and had crossed paths with a few (notably, Priscilla and Aquilla). Still, Paul had never visited the capital city of the Roman Empire, the center of secular supremacy. He was, however, certain that joy awaited him there. I think of the churches that we have had built in India, Nepal, South Sudan, Algeria, and Togo, as well as churches we have helped to build in Haiti, Peru, China, and other countries. We do not know the people in these places (and, unlike Paul, we have no plans to visit), but the very thought of them is a joy, a shared joy in Jesus. Second, Paul expected to “be refreshed.” May we likewise be refreshed by the blessing of joy that we experience because of God’s people.