1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I think it is important to understand the difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is an emotion that is a response to the ever changing circumstances and events that surround us. Joy is the reaction to the consistent, persistent, unchanging and never ending love of Jesus Christ. Regardless of the circumstances, joy remains. Joy is a result of God’s love, and because God’s love is unchanging, consistent, and never ending, our joy will be also. Thus, allowing us as followers of Christ to be joyful always. Joy is rooted in hope, hope is rooted in love, and God is love. Happiness and sorrow may come, but our joy is never ending.
So being joyful always isn’t a naive assumption that we need to be on top of the world all the time, but rather that our actions and thoughts are rooted in the one stable thing in this ever changing world, the love, salvation, and abundant life that comes only from knowing Jesus Christ. (Jesus put it best when He taught the parable of The Wise and the Foolish Builders in Luke 6:46-49)
As Paul was persecuted and imprisoned, he said “for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned teh secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” Phillipians 4:11-13
These are the challenging words of a man who has true joy. He knows that what is most valuable to him can never be taken away.
What things are you doing/thinking that keep you digging down deep and building your house on the firm foundation of God’s love, hope, and joy?
Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children...”
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