The word happiness brings about visions of unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning, maybe strolling through a beautiful park with someone that you love, maybe it’s being surprised by all of your friends on your birthday when you never saw it coming, maybe it’s uncontrollable laughter while watching a funny movie or vacationing in a beautiful exotic location. Perhaps ,it’s finally buying the thing you have wanted for a long time… the thing you thought would make you happy... Everyone wants to be happy; we make the search of it a national past time it would seem… Everyone’s pursuing happiness, searching endlessly for happiness,… We make it a lifelong mission to chase this elusive ideal. We spend money we don’t have, we collect things we don’t need, and we search for new and exciting ways to fill the void just to bring us temporary happiness.
This cycle will never end… It will be a constant circle of disappointment… if happiness depends on our circumstances, what happens when our toys and gadgets breakdown, when our loved ones die, when our health deteriorates,
when the money is gone, and the party is over? Happiness often can leave as fast as it got there… and despair can set in just as fast.
In contrast to happiness stands pure JOY!
Running so much deeper and stronger, Joy is the peaceful calm, quiet, confident, assurance of God’s unending love and his powerful work in our lives...It’s us matter-of-factly knowing that he will always be there for us no matter what!
Happiness depends on happenings, but joy unequivocally, wholly, and fully
depends on Christ! KNOWING CHRIST AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR!
ALWAYS BE FULL OF JOY IN THE LORD; I SAY IT AGAIN-
REJOICE! Phil 4:4 (Paul speaking)
Paul’s letter to the Philippians was none other than a joy letter. Paul wrote to the Philippians with a personal expression of his gratitude ,love and affection for them; they had brought him great encouragement.. Paul likes to emphasize the real joy of a Christian life and how we can ALL HAVE PURE JOY! ..The concept of rejoicing or joy appear 16 times in the four chapters of Philippians and the pages radiate the positive message.. JOY .. no matter what... JOY!
Paul was a dedicated servant of Christ, probably the most powerful and amazing evangelist that ever lived. He faced excruciating poverty, abundant wealth, and everything in between; but he wrote this joyful letter even while being in prison ...that’s where he wrote Philippians which is full of JOY…
Amazing to me that a letter flowing with joy, rejoicing, gratitude and love flows from a pen of a man in prison.. We see his heart, we see that no matter what you can have joy…
Whatever the circumstances Paul had learned to be content
4:11-12
Finding real joy comes from focusing all of our energy on knowing Christ, really knowing him as your personal Lord and Savior… Having a close, personal relationship with him and understanding, and obeying his word for your life… Paul’s desire to know Christ and to become closer to him, was above all else as he expressed his words in this wonderful passage:
“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him… I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, share in his death.”
You can just hear Paul’s passion for Jesus in the scriptures... may we all aspire to know Jesus more and more like this man did… We must rejoice like Paul and rededicate ourselves to finding lasting joy that only comes from Jesus…
The search is over to fill the void with things, the next latest and greatest will not do what only the love of Jesus can do… Let every void you’ve been trying to fill your whole life through the endless search of pursuing happiness stop right now as you look to JESUS… Jesus is the author and the finisher of your faith ...He is the only one who can change everything… He is the one who behold...makes all things new… You will become what you behold…!! WHAT ARE YOU BEHOLDING?
The secret to Paul’s Joy is grounded in his relationship with Christ and it is available to each and every one of us! We all desperately want to be happy but we’ve tossed and turned over daily successes, failures, inconveniences, delays, setbacks and pitfalls.
Christians are to be joyful in every circumstance even when things are not going as planned, because the joy of the Lord is our strength... it’s what we need to pull through… Reliance on Christ keeps our joy steadfast, it strengthens our faith as a result… It redefines love in our hearts as God’s perfect love casts out all fear and worry… Joy is the undercurrent, the byproduct of God’s perfect love flowing in us.. HE NEVER LEAVES US.. no matter what is going on... No matter what emotion is happening on the service there can be an underlining joy of knowing that Jesus will NOT leave you.. you are not alone in your trial… He is right there no matter what, so we can rejoice at all times… Again I say rejoice...
Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your JOY will be complete.
John 16:24
We can become unhappy but we can’t become un-joyed!
IT CAN BE MADE COMPLETE!
If you have not have not made Jesus your Lord and Savior call on his name today and receive the joy of the Lord that is the strength in you that will change everything… Let your ENDLESS pursuit of happiness END right now and begin at the same time with one word… JESUS... Call on the name of JESUS!
God bless you all!
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 16:11
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, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9 | NIV
The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
Psalm 118:24
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
Habakkuk 3:17-18
No comments:
Post a Comment