Inside VoiceSample

The Joy-Filled Mind

Paul the Apostle, at around 61 A.D., wrote the letter to the Philippian church during his first imprisonment in Rome. We can certainly identify with Paul from our current societal lockdown, although he was under house arrest and facing a possible martyr’s death - far, far worse!  But he had JOY, the deep joy that is not dependent on circumstances. Paul was clear where his joy came from - the Lord! Our joy is to be much deeper than our circumstances, and it is so much more than happiness.

It’s not the situation itself but how you interpret the situation, what you think about it that determines your mood.  In Paul’s case, his situation was bleak, yet he rejoiced.  His joy was in the Lord. Every day we have a choice to focus on the circumstances, or we can lift our gaze and fix our eyes on Jesus.  Even in the deepest suffering, there is a joy that is available to us always, because God is with us always, and in his presence, there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). 

Prison didn’t stop Paul from being joyful, and this was the core message that he was communicating to the growing church in Philippi.  He was demonstrating that you can have joy in all circumstances!  Their salvation alone brought him joy.  He was encouraging them to continue in their faith knowing that Jesus, who had begun a great thing in them from the moment of their salvation, would continue to work in their lives until the fullness of time.  Sometimes, the best thing to do when our situations are not so great is to look beyond ourselves and see the good things that God is doing in the people around us. 

As we journey through this devotional, invite the Holy Spirit to help you to see above your circumstances and to be filled with lasting joy.

Questions:

1. What are your biggest challenges right now that impede your ability to rejoice?

2. What are some of the blessings you do have that you can be thankful for?

3. Who is around you that you can encourage, lift up and love on today?