TRUTH #1: JOY is NOT tied to life's circumstances!

You know, I just love good questions!

The TRUTH is, I believe good questions are the essence of life and faith. So here is a good, yet simple question for us to ponder this week; “Did you have one of those weeks?” You know the kind that I am talking about don’t you? The kind of week that was filled with the emotional rollercoaster rides that life sometimes brings with it. One minute things are going great, work is awesome, family is well, and all the things in the universe just seem to be in line. Then it happens! Out of nowhere the tide seems to shift and the waves of circumstance come crashing down all around you. Maybe it’s a flat tire, or maybe it is a bad report card, or maybe it’s something much worse like a job loss or some unexpected health issue!

Life being what it is, is full of rollercoaster moments and every person who has ever lived life on this planet has experienced his or her fair share of them. The challenge with that reality is that for many of us, the circumstances of life effect the overall quality of our lives more than we might want to admit. If the truth were told, the circumstances of life have a way of causing our “HAPPY” meters, to bottom out far too often. But the reality is, this is not how life is supposed to be lived. Our lives are not intended to be driven by the whim of circumstance. When circumstances rule our lives, our joy and happiness often becomes momentary or short-lived because the next challenge or test in life always seems to be lurking just around the corner.

The TRUTH is, God intends for our lives to be filled with joy. In fact, it is God’s deep desire that our lives would be filled with joy even to overflowing!

Now, if you are like me, it is at this particular point that you might be tempted to ask another very good question and that is simply, “How can that happen?” “How can our lives on this planet, with all the stuff we face in life be filled with this kind of constant joy?”

Well, the Bible has a lot to say about this. In fact, there are over 300 verses and passages in God’s Word that discuss the topic of joy. And one of the most important things that the Bible teaches concerning the issue of joy is that it is never tied to our circumstances in life!

Just look at these words from the book of Philippians, written by the Apostle Paul from the filthy confines of a Roman jail cell...

“I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, 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 the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
(Philip. 4:10-12 NIV)

Now, these are amazing words from a man who experienced many things both good and bad during his lifetime. You see, what Paul had learned through many of the challenges that life had thrown at him (Read the New Testament book of Acts for more on Paul) is that one of the secrets to joy in life is NOT to allow our circumstances to drive the joy out of our lives. IF Paul had allowed his joy to be tied to the stuff that life threw at him, then most of the New Testament of the Bible, which he is credited with authoring, would be a pretty depressing read. BUT the TRUTH is, the writings of Paul reflect a joy that goes beyond the circumstances of his life. What even the most casual reader of the New Testament will discover is that Paul lived out his own words because he held on to a much deeper truth about this thing called joy. And that TRUTH is something that we will look at together in a future post!


Till next time... have a safe and blessed New Year's celebration...

Rev Trev