| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Sanctification” Our Bible verse for today: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 (NIV) Our thought for today: “A happy joyful soul” As a young Christian I misread Philippians 4:4 as some sort of rah-rah happy-talk where Paul was essentially saying, “Come on, Jim, lighten up. Don’t worry, be happy.” You know, sort of like an empty cliché that we say to someone when we don’t know what else to say. But Philippians 4:4 is more than happy-talk and it is not an empty cliché. It’s also not a suggestion. Paul wrote it as a command. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” We tend to think that joy is situational and therefore can’t be commanded. But there it is – through Paul, God has commanded us to be joyful. So, that must mean that joy is a choice. We mistakenly think that joy depends on congenial circumstances. If the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and all is right with my world, then I’m a happy boy. But if times are hard and things are not going my way, then it’s unrealistic to expect me to be joyful, right? Well … evidently, no, not right. The Bible says something different. We need to remember where our joy comes from. Paul is not saying that we should ignore our tough situations or pretend that they aren’t painful and difficult. Instead, Paul commands us to rejoice in the Lord, not in our circumstances. We are to find our joy in Him. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit who lives in our heart. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). In John 15:11 Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” In other words, joy doesn’t come from the outside and work its way in, it comes from within us and works its way out. It’s a result of spiritual maturity. The more spiritually mature we are, the more the joy of the Lord will become part of who we are. Our joy will be in the Lord and from the Lord. I love being around people who have joy in their hearts that bubbles up from deep within and radiates out from them. Their lives are never perfect or trouble-free – they have problems, trials, and tribulations just like the rest of us. And yet, they choose to approach life with an upbeat attitude and a positive demeanor because they focus on the joy of the Lord that is in their heart. Are you a happy, joyful soul? If not, perhaps you are seeking joy in the wrong places or from the wrong sources. If we rejoice in the Lord, His joy will be evident in us. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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