Joy
Philippians 1. Today we begin the letter of Philippians written by Paul around AD 61-62. Paul wrote this little 'thank you' note to the Philippians about the same time he wrote his letter to the Ephesians. Paul is in Roman custody at this time, under house arrest. Paul's purpose is to write this church to say 'thank you' for their support and to encourage them in the midst of adverse circumstances. Thus "joy" becomes the theme of this letter. In fact Paul uses the word "joy", in its various forms, some 16 times.
Joy is much different from happiness. Happiness depends on circumstances. Joy depends on Jesus. You can have joy in spite of your circumstances. And that's where we find Paul as he pens this letter. His circumstances are less than desirable. Paul is a prisoner. Now while its true he's not in the dungeon yet (he's under house arrest), he's still facing adverse conditions, no privacy (being chained to a Roman guard 24/7), and facing slanderous attacks by other Christians.
Yet Paul was joyful in spite of his chains as long as the Gospel progressed (v.12-14). For the first 11 verses he talked about them and prayed for them. Did you get that? First eleven verses of this letter and he's thinking about them and not himself. Now, after eleven verses, he tells them about his situation. Things didn't turn out exactly as he planned. He always wanted to go to Rome as a preacher. He never dreamed he would go as a prisoner. He didn't know that he would go there via the Department of Roman Corrections.
What does this teach us? It teaches us that things don't always turn out the way we planned. But for Paul, as long as the Gospel was being advanced, that was all that mattered. That brought Paul the greatest joy. Joy knowing that men and women and boys and girls were coming to Jesus and being saved. What causes joy in your life? Do you experience joy in the midst of adverse circumstances? Do you still have joy even when things don't turn out the way you planned? Let Paul's words encourage you today: "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice!" 4:4.
Joy is much different from happiness. Happiness depends on circumstances. Joy depends on Jesus. You can have joy in spite of your circumstances. And that's where we find Paul as he pens this letter. His circumstances are less than desirable. Paul is a prisoner. Now while its true he's not in the dungeon yet (he's under house arrest), he's still facing adverse conditions, no privacy (being chained to a Roman guard 24/7), and facing slanderous attacks by other Christians.
Yet Paul was joyful in spite of his chains as long as the Gospel progressed (v.12-14). For the first 11 verses he talked about them and prayed for them. Did you get that? First eleven verses of this letter and he's thinking about them and not himself. Now, after eleven verses, he tells them about his situation. Things didn't turn out exactly as he planned. He always wanted to go to Rome as a preacher. He never dreamed he would go as a prisoner. He didn't know that he would go there via the Department of Roman Corrections.
What does this teach us? It teaches us that things don't always turn out the way we planned. But for Paul, as long as the Gospel was being advanced, that was all that mattered. That brought Paul the greatest joy. Joy knowing that men and women and boys and girls were coming to Jesus and being saved. What causes joy in your life? Do you experience joy in the midst of adverse circumstances? Do you still have joy even when things don't turn out the way you planned? Let Paul's words encourage you today: "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice!" 4:4.
posted by Royce Hendry at
4:50 AM
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