September 9, 2007
Be Joyful
Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice.

For the most part, people who know me would say that I am a happy person. But this past year, the Lord has been working on me, telling me that I need to be joyful, not just happy. I shouldn’t have been surprised when He led me to read the book of Philippians, otherwise known as “Paul’s joy letter.” The concept of rejoicing or joy appears sixteen times in this small book which is only four chapters long. Paul wrote this letter to the Christians at Philippi to show them that true joy comes from Christ alone. Too often, I tended to look for my happiness in people (like my husband or children) or in activities (going out to dinner, meeting a girlfriend for coffee, reading a good book) or in things (getting a massage, buying a new outfit, getting a compliment). But the Lord showed me that I need to find my joy in Him. My husband, children and friends are going to let me down and disappoint me (as wonderful as they are), I can’t eat out every meal, my girlfriends have lives of their own, the books and massages all come to an end, my new outfits get outdated and I forget compliments others have given me. God is the only person who will never disappoint me! He is always thinking about me and always wants to give me His very best. The more time I spend with Him, the more joyful I become; not because my outer circumstances change, but because my inner attitude changes. Thank you God for loving me so much!!!
Remember: Happiness depends on happenings, but Joy depends on Christ!

Sheri Freedman