“Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice!”
Phil: 4:4
It’s soon Christmas and Christmas is a time for joy. Well, that is for someone. Not everyone is excited for Christmas. Some might associate their Christmas with drinking or gambling and someone associate it with feeling alone. Someone does not like the pressure on buying gifts and smile to pretend that they are happy.
Joy is mentioned in the Bible quite a few times. In the four chapters of the Philippians while Paul sits in jail he write about joy as much as 15 times! He had no reason at all to talk about joy, but this is the book in the Bible that mentions it the most based on chapters.
“Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no-one will take away your joy.”
John. 16:22
It is easy to base our faith on feelings. But what if we changed it the other way around? base our feelings on our faith? I think that is what Paul does when he sits in jail talking about joy. He has a joy knowing Jesus and knowing that the name of Jesus is preached. Although he suffered a lot of pain on the outside, he has a joy that comes from within, from the depths of his heart.
In thess.5:16 it says “Be joyful always”. Wow, ALWAYS? Really Lord? Well, if you think about it, If you take a look at yourself, the joy VANISHES! We see all our mistakes and all the things we have done wrong in life. That is what makes us sad. But, if we look at Jesus and His amazing grace, the joy will come back to us. God commands us to be joyful. That’s because the roads that not leads to joy, are devious Roads.
If we shall retain the joy in our hearts, the heart must be filled with the salvation of the benefits we have in Christ. He is our Savior and Lord, the bread and water of life, way, truth and life, Our provider and resident. When I see all those gift I have in Jesus, I cannot do anything but to rejoice him.
Therefore, the Christian’s happiness is regardless despite of circumstances. We can rejoice in the Lord in sorrow and trials. Especially in the hills we have to climb in our lives when we are not purified or strongest. That only shows that our source is not within our own hearts, but in God, but added in our heart as the Holy Spirit.
“Worship the Lord
with gladness;
come before him
with joyful songs.”
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