Philippians is one of the letters written by Paul while he was prisoned in Rome. Yet, the entire letter written to the church in Philippi, speaks of Joy. How odd if we consider joy to be everything going well in our lives. However, Paul’s life was filled with pain, suffering and difficulty. It certainly was not easy at the time he wrote this letter. Still, he reflects a triumphant, steadfast joy as he presents the reason for His joy. Therefore, as we begin this study, let us consider: “Can We really live with Joy in our hearts every day, regardless of the circumstances surrounding us? But how do we find this kind of triumphant steadfast joy that never leaves us?
It has taken me a lifetime to begin to grasp the truth that lay right before me. How often, even with relatively good theology, we get so carried away by sorrow that we cannot arise from the depths of our own loneliness, despair, fears, and pain. Always circling much like David in Psalm 42. Listen to the pleas of David, are they not the same as ours?
Psalm 42:
42 As the deer [b]pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and [c]appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”
4 When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
5 Why are you [d]cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
[e]For the help of His countenance.
6 [f]O my God, my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From [g]the Hill Mizar.
7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
8 The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my Rock,
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a [h]breaking of my bones,
My enemies [i]reproach me,
While they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The [j]help of my countenance and my God.
Can You Really Live with Joy in Your Heart Every Day?
After all that God had done, here was his plea circling from the depths of despair to the heights of remembered joys. Searching for God’s presence amid his turmoil, yet, feeling Him so far away. Have you ever done that? Or are there those moments you march forward with one foot in front of the other. Your only Hope to really live with Joy in your heart every day seems only a pipe dream. So, you grasp to flickers of momentary earthly joy. Even though you praise God for them, your theology of joy may be faulty. Believing that the gifts are the joy, rather than the joy only truly being the Giver of the Gifts, Jesus Christ.
Whenever we take our focus off the true source of our Joy, you are in peril of the Joy in Your heart plummeting to despair. Everything else in this world is fleeting, only Jesus Christ is eternally present in a believer’s life. When I was preparing this lesson, I could not help but note the notation I had written so long ago in the edges of my Bible. I was praising God that after such a long draught, so many trials, he had sent someone I thought was His gift to me. I rejoiced even writing their name in the edges. But alas, I got so caught up in the gift that I lost sight of God’s truth. Then they were gone, and I was left with even a deeper sorrow.
I had lost sight of the true theology of joy. John McArthur in one of his sermons pointed this out. So, I hope by quoting him to you, you will also discover this pearl of truth.
The Philosophy of Joy
“True joy is a gift from God to those who believe the gospel, being produced in them by the Holy Spirit as they receive and obey the Word, mixed with trials, and set their hope on future glory” John McArthur. If you get a chance to, please go and listen to the sermon in full as he details each part of this sentence. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/50-1/the-epistle-of-joy
With that let us turn to Philippians. As an introduction, the church at Philippi was the 1st church in Europe. Also note the first person saved was Lydia. The first church meeting was made up of women who had gone to the river to meet up with each other.
ACTS 16
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in [a]Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the [b]Spirit did not permit them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is the [c]foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So, she persuaded us.
While in Philippi, Paul and Silas were beaten horribly and placed in jail because they had saved a woman from demon possession. While in jail the first men of Philippi were added to the church.
The Guard Was Saved. How?
Paul and Silas were singing gospel songs of praise to Jesus while in jail. Go check it out, this is another fascinating story of how you can really live with joy in your heart every day. No matter what else is around you.
After all that introduction, let us look at the scripture at hand.
Philippians
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons[a]:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Following the salutation this was Paul’s Words to them of His Prayer
3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
To Really Live with Joy in Your Heart Every Day
Never forget that the source of your joy is Jesus Christ. As we learn to love Him more, dying to self, the Holy Spirit fills us with His joy. His joy can see the truth, never get bogged down with the trivialities. We are in Christ, sealed for eternity by the Holy Spirit. That is, you are if you ever accepted Him as Lord and Savior of your life. If not, why not today? Nothing and no one can steal His joy from our hearts. We can remember the Victory is already ours. Only He can satisfy the longing of your heart so that you may really live with joy every day.
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD?
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
For Prayer or Comments
If you have a prayer request feel free to email me by clicking here
Furthermore, if you would like to share your story or thoughts, you can comment here
Poetry Books Available
If you enjoy poetry perhaps you would like to read more of my poetry in my newest book which can be found on Amazon
PREVIOUS
Disclosures
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2021
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Credits
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.