ATTITUDES FOR GODLY DEVELOPMENT: “JOY”

• Attitudes for godly development begin with our desire to obey God’s Word, His Wisdom, and His Ways, and are followed by an eagerness to live humbly and love others. This leads to unity and the desire to serve with inner .
• There’s nothing wrong with things going our way; however, we know that life has hills and valleys.
• Matthew 6:34 So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
• John 14:1 Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.
• Jesus encouraged his disciples to trust, and that’s helpful for us today. Is this easy? Not at all. Is it the right thing to do? Yes.
• Our joy as followers of Jesus is an internal truth that does not change with circumstances but is rooted in our relationship with the Living God.

“Jesus Christ is no security against storms, but He is perfect security in storms. He has never promised you an easy passage, only a safe landing.” Streams In The Desert, March 31

• 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.
• Acts 14:19-20 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. 20 But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
• Acts 9:15-16 But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. 16 And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.

“Take a saint (Christian), and put him into any condition, and he knows how to rejoice in the Lord.” Walter Cradock

• In Rome, Paul was placed under house arrest, confined physically but not in his ministry. The church in Philippi received a letter from Paul. He wrote it, and the main theme is JOY, with his encouragement for the church to be full of joy.
• Philippians 1:3-5 (Written from jail) Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 
• Philippians 4:4 (Written from jail) Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
• A Christian can still grieve, struggle, and suffer, but joy remains because it is rooted in God’s unchanging character and promises.

1. Know the Source of Joy – Jesus.
   John 16.33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
2. Trust in the authority and sufficiency of God’s Word.
   1 Samuel 30:6 But David found strength in the Lord His God.
3. Be prepared to learn from others and shift our perspective.
   Nehemiah 8:10 And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
4. Joy is not something we generate; it is a gift from the Holy Spirit.
   Galatians 5.22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…
5. Learn to be content.
   Philippians 4.11-13 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
   

• Discontent, ingratitude, resentment, anger, and jealousy will rob any believer in Jesus of joy.
• Psalm 90:14 Satisfy us each morning with Your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
• Psalm 16:11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever.

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I know that the penalty of my sin is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. I acknowledge that I can’t do anything about my situation. But I know that You came to pay the penalty for my sin. I trust in You alone as the One who died in my place. I repent of my sin and trust in You alone as the only One who can place me in an eternal relationship with the living God. I desire to be Your child. I desire to live as Your child. In Your name. Amen.

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