Living the Abundant and Joyful Life

By Gillis Killam –

This morning I felt frustrated as we are having a difficult time getting things packed up and ready to move out of our house which is for sale. My wife thought I was not doing my part fast enough. In the frustration of it all I didn’t seem to be very joyful. I found myself being snarky or snappy and not at all the joyful person God wants me to be. Then I looked at this scripture and was soundly rebuked by Paul the Apostle who wrote “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 NIV).

The Lord wants us to be joyful “always,” not just when things are going well for us, but even in the times of trouble. It seems that Euodia and Syntyche in Philippians 4:2-3 were not very joyful either. They had a disagreement, and no doubt communication had broken down and this was not a joyful situation. Paul admonished other leaders to help these women to get along and be joyful.

James said, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4 NIV).

This takes an act of the will to consider trials and disappointments “pure joy,” when you don’t feel like it. But when we obey what God says, joy will come and fill our lives. An interesting verse says, “…for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing” (Philippians 2:13-14 NIV).

In this scripture Paul took great joy in his brothers and sisters in the Lord. He said, “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!” (Philippians 4:1 NIV). The book of Philippians is called the epistle of joy and Paul wrote it in prison.