JOY

Philippians 1:3-11

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so 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.

When reading this, my first thought is, "I know what you mean, Paul." I have joy when I think of and pray for my dear sisters and brothers in Christ, who walk this journey with me as pilgrims now, and citizens of Heaven for all eternity. We have a special bond as hearts knit together, who share in this work of our King and Savior. My joy is only present when I am thinking correctly, however. I cannot hold too tightly to the temporal, earthly things. When I allow the sin of unbelief to cause me to fear, I don't have joy. When my limited understanding of God's immeasurable grace and my forgetfulness of God's faithfulness allow me to despair, I lose my joy. There is so much that encourages me in this passage: the reminder that God is faithful to complete the work He started in me, that joy is a gift and fruit of the Spirit that extends beyond the circumstances we face (Paul was writing this from prison, facing the possibility of execution), the reminder of the fellowship and bond I share with all believers. When I take time to renew my mind with the word of God, I can think correctly and face my trials with joy. I have to keep battling my wrong thinking, though, so if you think about it, pray for me! :)