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April 26, 2023

The Source of Abundant Joy

April 26, 2023 by CARISSA JOY STRUM JOY Contentment Abide Praise
The Source of Abundant Joy
  • by CARISSA JOY STRUM
  • Comment
“Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!.... Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:1, 4-7

In the midst of all the praises and uncertainties and life turns of this year, God keeps reminding me that true joy is found only in Christ. When we find our identity in Christ and intentionally connect with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we have constant causes for joy. I love how Paul exemplifies Christ’s joy in today’s passage. He finds his source of joy in Jesus alone, and that joy seeps into his relationships with his brothers and sisters in Christ. When we rejoice in Jesus and rejoice in His Body the Church, we experience the joy we were created for. 


One of my friends reminds me of this by how Jesus-focused she is every day. She’ll randomly send me a Bible verse she loved or a commentary point she found interesting, and all of our conversations are bound to end up being about Jesus and how good He is. This community reminds me that we have infinite joy in our Savior! Jesus came for us, died for us, and was raised to life for us. He is interceding for us—that includes you and me—at the Father’s right hand even now. What a joyous thought! Why don’t we talk more about this with fellow believers and rejoice in the character of our God? I think that sometimes we’re so time-focused that we only celebrate what God is doing in the here and now. While it is important and very helpful to look for and celebrate God’s present works, we serve a God who is outside of time and we can praise Him for His past deeds and future faithfulness as well! 


When we begin to grasp that true joy is found in the character and deeds of our Father, we are free to let go of so many joy-stealers here on earth. We can talk about, think about, and be about our Father and His Kingdom. I love how Paul celebrates joy in both God’s people and in God Himself in our passage today. He isn’t worried about the fact that he’s literally in prison when writing this, but he takes joy in the fact that he is joined with his brothers and sisters in Christ, and that he can experience the presence of God. As today’s passage continues, true joy results in peace due to the nearness of God. 


As we experience the presence of God and enjoy the presence of fellow believers, we receive and give the true joy our hearts were created for. What attribute of God will you rejoice in today?

Closing Prayer
Lord God, we thank and worship You for the joy You give us in one another, and the joy You give us in Yourself. We humbly ask for Your Spirit to remind us to daily rejoice in You and in those You’ve placed around us. Please open our eyes to see Your presence and work as we rejoice in You. We may not always feel joyful, but we praise You and rejoice in Your presence, power, and works. Thank You. Thank You for saving us and for pursuing a closer relationship with us than we ever could have imagined or worked for. Thank You for connecting us with a body of believers (1 Cor. 12) to love and serve You together as a family. We ask that Your joy would mark us as Your daughters (Gal. 5:22), so that people would see us and glorify Your Name (Matt. 5:16). You are holy, kind, our King, and our Father. We rejoice in You today. In Jesus’ powerful Name we pray, amen.
Resources
Article: Why You’re Made for Joy by Holley Gerth These articles together show how joy is both a gracious gift from the Lord and a brave choice of the believer. As we seek joy, we must remember it is not a result of works but a result of our Heavenly Father’s generosity. Our Father calls us to bravely choose joy through the power of the Spirit. These articles are a wonderful encouragement. If you’re looking for more encouragement about joy, The Daily Grace Co. has a blog filled with articles about joy that can be found at this link. I hope you’re encouraged to receive God’s gift of joy!
Article: Have You Ever Been Surprised by Joy? by Holley Gerth These articles together show how joy is both a gracious gift from the Lord and a brave choice of the believer. As we seek joy, we must remember it is not a result of works but a result of our Heavenly Father’s generosity. Our Father calls us to bravely choose joy through the power of the Spirit. These articles are a wonderful encouragement. If you’re looking for more encouragement about joy, The Daily Grace Co. has a blog filled with articles about joy that can be found at this link. I hope you’re encouraged to receive God’s gift of joy!
Question for Reflection

Today we talked about the importance of replacing joy-stealers with the true joy found in Christ and in His Body of believers. Joy-stealers could take the form of a healthy focus on fitness that turns into an obsession, an overly stressed global worker who feels that the salvation of those around her is solely her responsibility, or the need of a wife to constantly make good food and have a clean home to impress her new husband. What’s a potentially subtle joy-stealer in your life, and how can you take a small, significant step to replace it with God’s true joy?

Comments
Carissa Joy Strum
April 26, 2023

I tend to overthink things—productivity, work, food, you name it. This takes up space in my brain and heart, making it difficult to rejoice in God and fellow believers. One way I can replace this pattern of overthinking with God’s joy is to surrender each overthinking spiral to God and tell Him that I rejoice in His sovereignty. He is taking care of things, so I don’t need to overthink them. What a joyful blessing! Then, I can tell someone around me one way God has provided. These small steps will help me to focus more clearly on God.