Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Rejoice in the Lord

Philip. 4:4-5
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
  • How is joy different from happiness?
  • When are you happy?
  • When are you joyful?
  • How is rejoicing in the Lord seen or perceived?
  • How do you know when you are rejoicing?
  • How do others know when you are rejoicing?
  • What does the nearness of the Lord contribute to your joy?
Harold's Musings:
Yet another area that I struggle with. I keep confusing joy with happiness. It is hard to be happy when the bumps of life knock you around. Depending on the day a little bump may be ignored or cause a major crash. Joy is eternal. Joy is knowing that Jesus is with me even when I hit a big bump. It seems to circle around to being fully aware of His presence and trusting that this bump is just a bump and someday there will be no bumps at all. Keep the eyes on the prize.

1 comment:

Michael O said...

I think the simple definition for joy is that it is the recognition of victory. Whenever the Illini got to the final four a couple of years ago, there was much joy in Champaign-Urbana. Whenever you have a victory over something, joy is the natural reaction. Unlike sports where the winning is forgotten by a new season and a new champion, our joy can be eternal if we recognize the eternal victory we have.