Choose joy

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Lighten up”

Our Bible verse for today: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Choose Joy”

I read an interesting statement the other day about choosing joy. It read, “Without exception, people who consistently laugh do so in spite of, seldom because of anything. They pursue fun rather than wait for it to knock on their door in the middle of the day.”

I think the author is correct. I think people who are habitually happy, upbeat, and joyful – people who laugh easily and often, are that way on purpose. They’re intentional about it. It’s not that they don’t have issues, they do. And it’s not that their lives are problem free, they aren’t. It’s just that these people have chosen to be intentional about maintaining an upbeat and positive attitude. They’re not being naïve they’re just “choosing” joy.

Is it really possible to be faced with problems, even serious problems, and deal with them effectively and realistically without giving in to brooding and despondency? Evidently the Apostle Paul thought so. In Philippians 4:4 he issued a very direct command. There he told us to rejoice in the Lord always. And just to be sure we didn’t miss his strong emphasis he repeated, “I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Philippians is considered the most joy-filled letter in the entire Bible. But Paul wrote it when he was an old man, sick and in prison, and probably facing execution for his faith. So, Paul wasn’t telling us to ignore our problems or to pretend they don’t exist, he was simply telling us to not be defined by our problems and to not let them steal our joy. It is possible to deal with your problems while still being happy about everything else in your life that is good and positive.

But sometimes even our best efforts to be positive can go array if we aren’t careful. Once on Facebook I saw a picture of a real church sign which listed the sermon titles for the Sunday morning and Sunday evening services at that church. The title for the morning sermon was “Preparing for Marriage”. The title for the evening sermon (no kidding) was “A Look at Hell”.

If those sermons were both part of the same series, that preacher must have had a pretty dim view of marriage! Maybe that described his marriage but it sure doesn’t describe mine and I hope it doesn’t describe yours.

I encourage you to be intentionally positive today and to choose joy.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are 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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