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.)
No study of joy should exclude the book of Philippians, which contains eighteen uses of “joy” or forms of “rejoice.” The Apostle Paul exults early in the epistle; in Philippians 1:4, he writes, “Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy.” The linkage of prayer and joy is humblingly instructive; perhaps if we find our joy waning in its freshness and fullness, the reason is lack of fervent, heartfelt intercession for others. Prayer logically includes thanksgiving (verse 3); how we must insist on real joy at the salvation of each fellow believer (verse 5) and at observed spiritual growth (verse 6)! Note that, even though Paul brought the Gospel to Philippi (probably about ten years before he wrote this letter), he insists that it was God Himself, the God of joy, Who began and continues the spiritual work in the lives of these Philippian believers. Joy is the proper response to the handiwork of God, Who is working in others and through our prayers. Let us rejoice in the very act of prayer, for we are in communication with the One Who communicates joy.