For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

3:1   Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

Paul is begninning a section in Philippians where he begins to warn the church of the enemy within the church, or that will come to visit the church. Instead of this section starting out with dire warnings (for they will come) or descriptions of terrible teachers pouncing on the church (for they will arrive also), Paul starts out with joy. Not a doctinal stance, or an exhortation to prayer, (which is such a required practice for the believer) but joy.

He says to rejoice in the Lord. First off, a truly joyful believer is indominable, to the extent that the believer finds his joy in Jesus. Not in religion, or church attendance, or law keeping or ceremoniual bathing or sacrificial giving, or increasing population of the church. No – the joy in tho be found in the Lord only, and this is a settled joy that increases and increases as we walk with Him and see His activity in our lives in a daily way.

The joy I experienced at salvation was intense, very emotional, and unattainable to maintain. Now don’t hear when I say the intensity of the joy was unattainable to maintain as a cop out, for as I have sought to walk with Him, He has provided a settled, calming joy, a joy that does not spike and plummit, as emotional trips so often do. This joy is somewhat unnoticable until it is touched by a sadness, by a disapointment, or by a trial. Although the joy of the Lord is resident in me, it is with the difficulties that the joy comes into full bloom.

I found a quote from the preacher F. B. Meyer, regarding our cooperation in the cultivation of this joy. We are not to consider this experience of joy to be something we are passively recieving, but based on our relationship with the Lord, and His guidance in our thinking.

“It is a duty for us to cultivate this joy. We must steadfastly arrest any tendency to murmur and complain; to find fault with God’s dealings; or to seek to elicit sympathy. We must as much resist the temptation to depression and melancholy as we would to any form of sin.” (Meyer)

Was it not even within this letter that believers were told to not gripe or complain. Complaining, murmuring, disputing and whining are joy busters, for when we complain, we are not looking to the Lord but to our problems, not seeing God’ blessings but our supposed needs.

To rejoice in the Lord is an exercise of focusing on Him, and though times may be good or bad, our eyes are to be peering to Him for our daily strength. The Joy of the Lord is not “ours” but His, and a believer’s effort to generate it independant of Him is an exercise in futility. The joy of the Lord is not something that can be generated by self help books, or by an act of the will to be happy, but to look to Him in our day to day lives, listen for His voice.

In focusing on Him (and not seeking joy), we actually recieve love joy peace…

Rejoice in the Lord. It is actually a command! Go ahead – be sullen AND in the midst of being sullen, realize you are in sin!

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

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