Learning The Secret Of Joy

“Rejoice in the Lord always.

I will say it again. Rejoice”

- Philippians 4:4

The book of Philippians is a book centered around the theme of joy. The word “joy” or “rejoicing” is mentioned in this book sixteen times. Paul commands us to rejoice always and yet humanly speaking this seems impossible. I have come to recognize that I can only experience this kind of joy when I realize it is through the Lord Jesus Christ and my relationship to Him.

The secret is that joy comes from the Lord and it cannot be manufactured. It is supernaturally given through the work of the Holy Spirit and through the very life of Christ living through and in me. I want and need this type of joy in my life where I can live above a life-threatening illness. How do you have joy when you feel bad and you do not have energy to do the basic things in life? How do you rejoice when you have been in good health and enjoyed life so much and yet now you cannot tie your own shoes. This has been a very difficult time for me because my illness and the treatment make me feel very weak physically and emotionally challenged.

Paul was in prison suffering when he wrote this book of and yet he demonstrated that he lived above his circumstances. He challenged the saints in Philippi that they could experience Christ’s joy despite any difficult circumstance they may be facing. We can have joy when we lean completely upon the Lord and depend upon Him for our purpose and meaning in life. We are commanded to rejoice and it is disobedient when we choose to rely

upon something other than Jesus Christ for our joy.

I have chosen to trust God and to realize that it is only through Jesus Christ that I can overcome my circumstances and have joy in my life. Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit and is a by-product of the Spirit-controlled life. I need to make sure that I do not “quench the Spirit” (I Thee. 5:19) or “grieve the Spirit” (Eph. 4:30) because then I will not have joy in my life. I want joy rather than a bitter spirit and it only comes from my relationship to Jesus Christ .