Joy Challenge Video Devotional - Day 15: Pastor Ryan Shook
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“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!”
Philippians 4:4 (NLT)
The more we grow in grace and get to know our Heavenly Father, the more we experience joy. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. We can’t produce it. We simply bear the fruit of joy that the Holy Spirit produces in our hearts when we are rightly related to Jesus. Though He was called a “man of sorrows” and “acquainted with grief,” Jesus was full of joy in the LORD!
In Philippians 4:4 (NLT), the apostle Paul gives a radical joy challenge when he writes, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. (And in case you missed it, he repeats) I say it again – Rejoice!” The word “always” in that passage is the New Testament word “pantote.” It can be translated, Alway, Always, Ever, For Ever, Evermore, All the time, At All Times. That seems pretty radical, doesn’t it? That’s why I call it “Radical Joy!” He is saying that no matter what happens, good or bad, we can always be full of joy in the Lord. How is that possible? Because our joy is in the Lord, and not in our circumstances. If our joy were in our circumstances, we would not always be full of joy, would we? No one is happy or jumping for joy when bad things happen, when we face the loss of a loved one, the economy drops out, or our health fails us. All these things happen in a fallen world. This isn’t heaven. Jesus warned us in John 16:33, that in this world we would have troubles, but then He adds something radical. He says, “Be of good cheer!”
In The Joy of Christianity sermon message our good friend, Lee Strobel, shared four reasons we could be of good cheer and experience joy even in the midst of our struggles that I think bear repeating. I believe they hold the key to unlocking radical joy in your life. When joy becomes a challenge because of the struggles you’re facing, consider these four truths that will fill you with joy! We’ll look at two of them today and the other two reasons tomorrow.
1. God will lovingly comfort us.
God cares about what you are going through. He understands what you’re facing. The Psalmists said, “When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought me joy.” Psalm 94:19 (NIV)
2. Nothing can take what really matters.
The writer of Hebrews encourages Christ followers with what really mattered and assured them that nothing can take that away! The same is true today for you and me as followers of Jesus. He said, “You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.” Hebrews 10:34 (NLT) Imagine having everything you own taken from you and accepting that with joy! How could they remain full of joy? Because they knew there were better things waiting for them that would last forever! Their joy was in Jesus, in the Lord, and not in things that didn’t really matter in eternity. Do you have a radical joy like that?
When joy becomes a challenge because of the struggles you’re going through, and we all experience them, remember these first two truths from God’s Word. God desires to lovingly comfort us in all our troubles and nothing can take away what really matters. We’ll look at two more Biblical truths that enable us to experience radical joy tomorrow. Practice these first two and experience God’s comfort.
Printed copies of The Joy Challenge devotional are available at The Joy Challenge - Kerry Shook Ministries.