Joyful Living Devotional - Day 26
Day 26 – Joy is Serious Business
Philippians 3:1 (NLT) Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.
Philippians is known as the Book of Joy. The words "joy" and "rejoicing" appear at least 18 times in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, underscoring the theme of finding joy in Christ despite external circumstances. The theme is clear: there’s joy in knowing, serving, obeying, and suffering for Christ. There’s joy in patterning our lives after Christ. There’s joy in the proclamation of the Good News of Christ!
There’s joy in prison, in persecution, in freedom, in living, in dying, in serving others, and in loving others. There’s joy in relating to others God’s way, through selfless acts of service and unity. There’s joy in preferring others with humility and in having the same mind as Christ Jesus. There’s joy in contentment, in prayer, in thanksgiving, and in generosity. This joy that Paul refers to is not self-manufactured through a grin-and-bear-it mentality. It is not forced, coerced, or based on feelings. Neither is it based solely on the good things in life, perfect circumstances, or even on all our prayers being answered the way we want them to be.
This joy is present in the midst of (to borrow Paul’s words) “whatever happens.” Paul has been exhorting the church in Philippi from the outset of the letter about the challenges he and they face. He made it clear that he is counting on their prayers. Whether he is freed from prison or faces execution, he has joy in being fruitful and an even greater joy in departing and being with Christ. The joy that Paul refers to is not a natural joy, or simply being a positively joyful person who sees the glass half full. It is, in fact, an indestructible joy rooted in the reality of Christ Jesus. It is a joy unspeakable and full of glory. It is a joy found in the very presence of God. It is a characteristic of God’s kingdom, as Paul writes in Romans 14:17 (NIV), “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
This joy is indestructible, unchanging, everlasting, always enduring, never fading, ever present, and it overcomes all circumstances. Paul, when he writes to the church in Corinth, refers to the joy of the churches in Macedonia, including the Philippians, the Bereans, and the Thessalonians: “1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity” (2 Corinthians 8:1-2 NLT). They are being tested by many troubles. They are struggling with poverty. However, they are also filled with abundant joy, and that joy is the cause of rich generosity.
For the churches in Macedonia, great trouble brings great joy. Great poverty brings great generosity. This joy can be found only in Christ, not in life's circumstances. This joy reflects genuine faith, not a superficial spirituality that is happy or joyful only when all my prayers are answered the way I want and all my circumstances are good and pleasant. Jesus is the only One who can give us this joy because He shows us that, despite the cross, He looked to the joy set before Him.
“Joy is distinctly a Christian word and a Christian thing. It is the reverse of happiness. Happiness is the result of what happens of an agreeable sort. Joy has its springs deep down inside. And that spring never runs dry, no matter what happens. Only Jesus gives that joy. He had joy, singing its music within, even under the shadow of the cross.”
– S. D. Gordon
Paul tells the Philippians that it doesn’t matter what happens; they have Christ’s indestructible and unchanging joy. He urges them to rejoice and doubles down, saying, “I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith” (Philippians 3:1b NLT). Like a parent, he repeats what he deems important. According to Paul, joy is important, so he repeats his message saying he will not grow tired of repeating it to them! He repeats the message as a safeguard for their faith. Joy is not simply a feeling, an experience, or a moment of euphoria in victory. It is a Christ-like attitude in all circumstances, including difficult ones. Joy is the very quality of Christ that demonstrates our trust in Him. Joy safeguards our faith because it is our strength and helps us endure whatever testing we face. Joy is knowing that we will receive the end result of our faith, the salvation of our souls. “8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” 1 Peter 1:8-9 (NIV).
“There is no virtue in the Christian life which is not made radiant with joy; there is no circumstance and no occasion which is not illuminated with joy. A joyless life is not a Christian life, for joy is one constant recipe for Christian living.”
– William Barclay
We must understand that joy is serious business. Joy is our protection, our safeguard, and our reflection of heaven’s quality. It is our portion and power, our victory and deliverance, and our freedom and a declaration that hell has no part in us. Hell is the absence of God’s presence and the void of all joy. As Christ followers, we are ambassadors and citizens of heaven, so we represent heaven’s qualities. As C. S. Lewis said: “Joy is the serious business of heaven.”
We can have joy because Jesus has overcome. In John 16, Jesus speaks about what lies ahead of Him and tells the disciples that they will experience great sorrow and grief, but that their sorrow and grief will be turned into wonderful joy. He illustrates this by comparing it to a woman in labor, whose anguish gives way to joy the moment her child is born, because she has brought a new life into the world.
John 16:22 (NLT) So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.
No one can rob us of the joy we have in Christ, because this joy rests fully on the Resurrected Christ. Therefore, because of our new life in Christ, joy is guaranteed as we hold onto what He has done for us. We have joy not because life is always joyful and good, but because our joy is found in Him and through Him. This joy protects us and helps us navigate the challenges of any day.
We are serious about being the most joyful people on the planet. Joy is heaven’s business; it is full in our Heavenly Father’s presence. Don’t be robbed of what belongs to you. Rejoice in the Lord, and again, I say rejoice!
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank You that I belong to the most joyful kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. Thank You, Jesus, that You endured the cross for the joy set before You, despising the shame, and restored me to the Father. Thank You for the privilege of entering Your presence, where joy is full and complete. I rejoice today despite any circumstances or challenges I might face.
Jesus, help me adopt the same mindset as the churches in Macedonia. Even amid great trouble, they possessed great joy. Even in great poverty, they practiced great generosity. Let me have the same generous mindset in all things, and above all, walk in your joy. Holy Spirit, let the fruit of joy be evident in my life, especially when it seems I have nothing to be joyful about.
Help me count it all joy when I am tested and tried by life’s difficulties, and let the genuineness of my faith be reflected in a heart of joy and gratitude. You are my joy and my greatest reward. Today I choose Your joy, Lord, which is my strength and the safeguard of my faith. Thank You, King Jesus, that no one and nothing can rob me of the joy You give! I rejoice in You, my King and my God! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Philippians 3:1 (NLT) Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.
Philippians is known as the Book of Joy. The words "joy" and "rejoicing" appear at least 18 times in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, underscoring the theme of finding joy in Christ despite external circumstances. The theme is clear: there’s joy in knowing, serving, obeying, and suffering for Christ. There’s joy in patterning our lives after Christ. There’s joy in the proclamation of the Good News of Christ!
There’s joy in prison, in persecution, in freedom, in living, in dying, in serving others, and in loving others. There’s joy in relating to others God’s way, through selfless acts of service and unity. There’s joy in preferring others with humility and in having the same mind as Christ Jesus. There’s joy in contentment, in prayer, in thanksgiving, and in generosity. This joy that Paul refers to is not self-manufactured through a grin-and-bear-it mentality. It is not forced, coerced, or based on feelings. Neither is it based solely on the good things in life, perfect circumstances, or even on all our prayers being answered the way we want them to be.
This joy is present in the midst of (to borrow Paul’s words) “whatever happens.” Paul has been exhorting the church in Philippi from the outset of the letter about the challenges he and they face. He made it clear that he is counting on their prayers. Whether he is freed from prison or faces execution, he has joy in being fruitful and an even greater joy in departing and being with Christ. The joy that Paul refers to is not a natural joy, or simply being a positively joyful person who sees the glass half full. It is, in fact, an indestructible joy rooted in the reality of Christ Jesus. It is a joy unspeakable and full of glory. It is a joy found in the very presence of God. It is a characteristic of God’s kingdom, as Paul writes in Romans 14:17 (NIV), “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
This joy is indestructible, unchanging, everlasting, always enduring, never fading, ever present, and it overcomes all circumstances. Paul, when he writes to the church in Corinth, refers to the joy of the churches in Macedonia, including the Philippians, the Bereans, and the Thessalonians: “1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity” (2 Corinthians 8:1-2 NLT). They are being tested by many troubles. They are struggling with poverty. However, they are also filled with abundant joy, and that joy is the cause of rich generosity.
For the churches in Macedonia, great trouble brings great joy. Great poverty brings great generosity. This joy can be found only in Christ, not in life's circumstances. This joy reflects genuine faith, not a superficial spirituality that is happy or joyful only when all my prayers are answered the way I want and all my circumstances are good and pleasant. Jesus is the only One who can give us this joy because He shows us that, despite the cross, He looked to the joy set before Him.
“Joy is distinctly a Christian word and a Christian thing. It is the reverse of happiness. Happiness is the result of what happens of an agreeable sort. Joy has its springs deep down inside. And that spring never runs dry, no matter what happens. Only Jesus gives that joy. He had joy, singing its music within, even under the shadow of the cross.”
– S. D. Gordon
Paul tells the Philippians that it doesn’t matter what happens; they have Christ’s indestructible and unchanging joy. He urges them to rejoice and doubles down, saying, “I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith” (Philippians 3:1b NLT). Like a parent, he repeats what he deems important. According to Paul, joy is important, so he repeats his message saying he will not grow tired of repeating it to them! He repeats the message as a safeguard for their faith. Joy is not simply a feeling, an experience, or a moment of euphoria in victory. It is a Christ-like attitude in all circumstances, including difficult ones. Joy is the very quality of Christ that demonstrates our trust in Him. Joy safeguards our faith because it is our strength and helps us endure whatever testing we face. Joy is knowing that we will receive the end result of our faith, the salvation of our souls. “8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” 1 Peter 1:8-9 (NIV).
“There is no virtue in the Christian life which is not made radiant with joy; there is no circumstance and no occasion which is not illuminated with joy. A joyless life is not a Christian life, for joy is one constant recipe for Christian living.”
– William Barclay
We must understand that joy is serious business. Joy is our protection, our safeguard, and our reflection of heaven’s quality. It is our portion and power, our victory and deliverance, and our freedom and a declaration that hell has no part in us. Hell is the absence of God’s presence and the void of all joy. As Christ followers, we are ambassadors and citizens of heaven, so we represent heaven’s qualities. As C. S. Lewis said: “Joy is the serious business of heaven.”
We can have joy because Jesus has overcome. In John 16, Jesus speaks about what lies ahead of Him and tells the disciples that they will experience great sorrow and grief, but that their sorrow and grief will be turned into wonderful joy. He illustrates this by comparing it to a woman in labor, whose anguish gives way to joy the moment her child is born, because she has brought a new life into the world.
John 16:22 (NLT) So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.
No one can rob us of the joy we have in Christ, because this joy rests fully on the Resurrected Christ. Therefore, because of our new life in Christ, joy is guaranteed as we hold onto what He has done for us. We have joy not because life is always joyful and good, but because our joy is found in Him and through Him. This joy protects us and helps us navigate the challenges of any day.
We are serious about being the most joyful people on the planet. Joy is heaven’s business; it is full in our Heavenly Father’s presence. Don’t be robbed of what belongs to you. Rejoice in the Lord, and again, I say rejoice!
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank You that I belong to the most joyful kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. Thank You, Jesus, that You endured the cross for the joy set before You, despising the shame, and restored me to the Father. Thank You for the privilege of entering Your presence, where joy is full and complete. I rejoice today despite any circumstances or challenges I might face.
Jesus, help me adopt the same mindset as the churches in Macedonia. Even amid great trouble, they possessed great joy. Even in great poverty, they practiced great generosity. Let me have the same generous mindset in all things, and above all, walk in your joy. Holy Spirit, let the fruit of joy be evident in my life, especially when it seems I have nothing to be joyful about.
Help me count it all joy when I am tested and tried by life’s difficulties, and let the genuineness of my faith be reflected in a heart of joy and gratitude. You are my joy and my greatest reward. Today I choose Your joy, Lord, which is my strength and the safeguard of my faith. Thank You, King Jesus, that no one and nothing can rob me of the joy You give! I rejoice in You, my King and my God! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Posted in Joyful Living Devotional