Philippians 4:4-5 NLT
[4] “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! [5] Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon….”
Paul adds some final touches to his picture of partnership in this letter. He has highlighted the place of love…unity, faith, and perseverance in the family of believers, and the importance of overcoming selfishness for the sake of the body.
Now he focuses on joy and peace, the two other “fruits of the Spirit” that Jesus gave to His disciples before His death, and the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in them.
How do we maintain our joy in the midst of our suffering? Paul said and repeated, “Rejoice in the Lord.” The problem is that we rejoice in so many other things rather than in the Lord. Other “things” change…and so our happiness fluctuates. Notice I said “happiness” because circumstances influence our state of happiness but cannot touch our joy.
Joy is different.
I believe, from Scripture, that joy is related to our confidence in Jesus and the promise of our future. Look at this verse…
Hebrews 12:2 NLT
[2] “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”
An unshakeable confidence in God produces joy despite our suffering because our future is secure.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT
[16]”That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. [17] For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! [18] So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
With a promise like that, who would not be joyful!
The secret is…rejoice in the Lord. He is the unchanging constant in a changing world. Remember the old chorus?
” Yesterday, today, forever, Jesus is the same;
All may change, but Jesus never,
Glory to His name…”
Why can we be so sure of Jesus? Paul said, “He is near,” not “coming soon,” as the NLT translates. Jesus is at hand, available, always near. He hasn’t left us. We can call on His name and He will be quick to respond. He promised His presence with us always, so near, in fact, that His Spirit is in us.
So, Paul directs his readers to the source of true joy, “the Lord”, and to the way to remain joyful, “always”. We can partner with joy as a constant companion if we keep our gaze on Jesus even in our storms because He is nearer than our breath.