Counting It All Joy

Philippians 4:4 - Always be full of joy in the Lord.  I say it again - rejoice!

Paul's heart for Christ and for his fellow man is amazing.  The whole book of Philippians is full of Paul's joy for his suffering for the Lord.  No matter what he was going through, he considered it all joy for the Lord, because the Good News of Jesus Christ was being spread.

Finding joy in everything can be so tough sometimes.  Things will come up that just frustrate me to no end, and I feel like I'm going to lose every bit of patience I have left.  Reading about what Paul endured to share the Gospel really helps put things in perspective.  During it all, he was happy.  I struggle with that a lot.

During Bible study, a question was posed about which was toughest for us personally: being like Christ, trusting God's plan, or counting it all joy.  I think most of us would go with counting it all joy, as I did, but one thing struck me during the conversation: I believe they're all interlinked.  The way I see it, when we're able to count it all joy, we are able to trust God's plan more, which will make us more like Christ (the desired end result).  It all starts with counting it all joy.

I have to work on that.  When situations come up, particularly at work lately, I have to just count it as joy.  I may not be happy there, and want to find a new job, but God has me there for a reason.  I believe the main reason is for me to work on my joy.  If I can find joy in the daily things that go on there (a real challenge), I can find joy in other things.  Then my obedience in trusting God's plan more will increase, and I will become more like Christ every day, which will in turn make me a better witness for the Gospel and His glory.  Thinking of the bigger picture like that makes me smile already.  I can certainly count that as joy...

Dear Abba Father, thank You for working in and through me for Your glory, and the glory of Your Kingdom.  I pray that my heart will seek You more every minute of every day so that I am able to count everything for joy, and become more like Christ in the end.  I know that with Your strength and guidance, all things are possible.  I pray for those that are struggling with the joy factor as well.  It is not an easy one to overcome, but I know and trust they can and will when they turn to and rely on You.  In Jesus' name, Amen!



God Bless!!!