Maintaining Your Joy Against The Odds

Philippians

What makes people happy? What makes you happy? Do you think happiness is important? Obviously, people do think happiness is important, and this is not some new and novel idea. The idea that happiness is important and even a basic right has been around for quite sometime.

Listen to these words from a document dated July 4, 1776: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." These words, of course, are from the Declaration of Independence. Undoubtedly, the founders of our country thought that happiness was a worthy goal to pursue.

The problem, however, with pursuing happiness is that you have to catch it. And this proves easier said than done. All sorts of advice has been given out over the years. A Chinese proverb reads, "If you wish to be happy for one hour, get intoxicated. If you wish to be happy for three days, get married. If you wish to be happy for eight days, kill your pig and eat it. If you wish to be happy forever, learn to fish." Now whether you agree with anything in this proverb, it does illustrate that there is no widely held consensus on how to find true happiness.

And there is a good reason why people have had trouble discovering true and lasting happiness. The problem is in the nature of happiness. Happiness depends on what happens. Happiness is linked to our circumstances. When things are going great, then I am happy. When things take a turn for the worst, then my happiness evaporates. What people really want is a happiness that lasts. People desire a happiness that does depend on happenstance. But, does such a thing exist?

Such a thing does exist. But it is not called happiness. In fact, we find this thing on the pages of the Bible. There we see a better alternative to happiness in what the Bible calls joy. Joy, unlike happiness, does not depend upon my situation in life. Joy is deeper and more abiding than happiness. Joy is something that God gives His children. Joy is a mark of someone who has been truly redeemed.

Listen to how D. L. Moody describes this difference. "Happiness is caused by things that happen around me, and circumstances will mar it; but joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows on through the dark; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows all through persecution and opposition. It is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; a secret spring the world can’t see and doesn’t know anything about. The Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him."

Do you have the joy? That is the real question for today. Do you have the real and lasting joy that only Christ can give? The good news of the Scripture is that fullness of joy can be ours in Christ. Joy always results from a relationship with Christ. This is what the Bible teaches. So let’s take a look at how we can quit pursuing the happiness that fades and find the real joy that lasts.

We are entering into a time of the year when everyone sings and talks about “Joy to the World.” And the “Happiness of the season.” But it is also a time of the year when we experience the greatest levels of stress and anxiety. Financial burdens become almost too much to bear. The pressure we put on ourselves to buy the right gift for the right person is tremendous. Then there’s the travel, and the strange beds, and the over-eating. It all makes for a rather depressing and frustrating time for many people – maybe you.

But as Christians, this should be one of the greatest times of the year, possibly second only to Easter, for it on these two occasions, Christmas and Easter, that we celebrate the birth and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We should be among those who enjoy the holidays the most. There should be no one in your day to day experience who gets more out of, or puts more into the Christmas Season than you do!

But there are challenges to our joy. There are thieves that will rob us of our joy, if we allow them. Some are subtle, others are obvious, and if we allow it, they will turn the next six weeks into an endurance test rather then a joy-filled time.

There is a book of the Bible that specifically teaches us about joy. It is the New Testament book of Philippians. Many believe Philippians is the loveliest letter Paul ever wrote. It has been called by two titles. It has been called The Epistle of Excellent Things-and so it is; and it has been called The Epistle of Joy. Again and again the words joy and rejoice recur. "Rejoice," writes Paul, "again I will say rejoice," even in prison directing the hearts of his friends-and ours-to the joy that no man can take from us.

"Joy" is mentioned in one way or another nineteen times in these four brief chapters. Another emphasis is the mind. As we read Philippians, note how many times Paul talks about remembering and thinking. We can summarize the theme of the book as "the Christlike mind that brings Christian joy." In each chapter, Paul describes the kind of mind Christians must have if they are to enjoy Christ’s peace and joy. Certainly our thoughts have a great influence on our lives, and wrong thinking leads to wrong living.

Chuck Swindoll says, “IF you find yourself running a little low on joy these days, I would recommend a prescription: Take one chapter of Philippians a day for several weeks, and you will see an amazing change start to take place in your life, as joy begins to flood your heart.”

So what are these thieves that will rob us of our joy, and how can we maintain our joy with against the odds?

Four Thieves that rob us of our joy

Circumstances. Most of us must confess that when things are "going out way" we feel a lot happier and we are much easier to live with…right? "Daddy must have had an easy day at the office," little Peggy said to his visiting girlfriend. "He didn’t squeal the tires when he pulled into the driveway, and he didn’t slam the door when he came into the house. And he even gave Mother a kiss!" But have you ever stopped to consider how few of the circumstances of life are really under our control? We have no control over the weather or the traffic on the expressway or over the things other people say and do. The person whose happiness depends on ideal circumstances is going to be miserable much of the time! The poet Byron wrote, "Men are the sport of circumstances." And yet when Paul wrote this letter, he was in the most miserable of circumstances. He was in prison!

In the first chapter, verses 12 and 13, we read,

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

Paul was under house arrest while he wrote this letter. He was chained night and day to a Roman guard. He did not know each day if it was his last. Certainly he could have easily slipped into depression. He could have bemoaned his treatment, or at least written solemn, melancholy letters. But here is a 104 verse passage of scripture that talks of joy!

If we allow our circumtances to determine our joy, we will never be joyful.

People. An author once told of his daughter who one day jumped off the school bus as it stopped in front of her house and slammed her way through the front door. She marched defiantly up the stairs into her room and again slammed the door. All the time she was muttering under her breath: "People—people—people—PEOPLE!"

He went to her door and knocked softly. "May I come in?" She replied, "No!" He tried again, but she said even more belligerently, "No!" I asked, "Why can’t I come in?" Her answer: "Because you’re a people."

All of us have lost our joy because of people: what they are, what they say, and what they do. And no doubt we have contributed to making somebody else unhappy…it works both ways! But we have to live and work with people; we cannot isolate ourselves and still live to glorify Christ. We are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. But sometimes the light grows dim and the salt becomes bitter because of other people. Is there any way to have joy in spite of people?

Things. A wealthy man was moving into his mansion, and his Quaker neighbor, who believed in simplicity

of life, was watching the activities carefully. The neighbor counted the number of chairs and tables and the vast amount of bric-a-brac that was being carried into the house. Finally, he said to the lord of the mansion: "Neighbor, if thou need anything, come to see me and I will tell thee how to get along without it."

Most of us will find ourselves obsessing over the next few weeks about things. We will worry about the gifts we will give our kids, our spouse, our family and friends. We will struggle to balance the budget with the demand, and things will creep up and rob us of our joy.

Abraham Lincoln was walking down the street with his two sons, who were crying and fighting. "What’s the matter with the boys?" a friend asked. Lincoln’s response: "The same thing that’s wrong with the whole world…I have three walnuts and each of the boys wants two!"

Things! What thieves they can be! Yet Jesus said "A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses." (Luke 12:15). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned against laying up treasures on earth: they are not safe, they do not last, and they never satisfy. Yet most people think that joy comes from the things that they own. In reality, things can rob us of the only kind of joy that really lasts.

Worry. This is the worst thief of all! How many people have been robbed of peace and fulfillment because of worry! In fact, worry even has physical consequences, and while medicine can remove the symptoms, it cannot remove the cause. Worry is an "inside job." It has to be dealt with in the heart. You can purchase "sleep" at the drug store, but you cannot purchase "rest."

Many of us will worry about the holidays a great deal. We get anxious about the friends and family that will be visiting. We will worry about the way our house looks, about the food we will serve, about the arguments between Cousin Louie and Aunt Ruth.

If Paul had wanted to worry, he had plenty of occasion. He was a political prisoner facing possible execution. His friends in Rome were divided in their attitudes toward his case. He had no board supporting him and no Legal Aid Society defending him. But in spite of all these difficulties, Paul does not worry! Instead, he thinks of others and writes a letter, filled with joy and tells us how to stop worrying.

These, then, are the four thieves that rob us of joy: circumstances, people, things, and worry. How do we capture these thieves and keep them from taking away the joy that is rightfully ours in Christ? The answer is: we cultivate the right kind of mind! If outlook determines outcome (and it does), then the attitude of mind that we cultivate will determine our joy or lack of it. Each of the four chapters found in this book give us the four attitudes that help us maintain our joy.

The Four attitudes that maintain our joy

The Single Mind (chapter 1). "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). Or, to use the old Latin proverb: "when the pilot does not know what port he is heading for, no wind is the right wind." The reason many Christians are upset by circumstances is because they do not cultivate "the single mind." Paul expresses this attitude of single-hearted devotion to Christ thus: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (1:21).

In chapter1, Paul discusses his difficult circumstances and faces them honestly. But his circumstances cannot rob him of his joy because he is not living to enjoy circumstances; he is living to serve Jesus Christ. He is a man of purpose: In 3:13, he says, "this one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. He does not look at circumstances in themselves, but rather in relationship to Jesus Christ. He is not the prisoner of Rome; he is "the prisoner of Jesus Christ" (Eph. 3:1). The chains he wears are "my bonds in Christ" (1:13). He is not facing a civil trial; he is "set for the defense of the gospel" 1:17). He did not look at Christ through his circumstances; rather, he looked at his circumstances through Christ – and this changed everything.

When a Christian is single-minded, he is concerned about the fellowship of the gospel (1:1-11), the furtherance of the gospel (1:12-26), and the faith of the gospel (1:27-30).

Paul rejoiced in his difficult circumstances because they helped to strengthen his fellowship with other Christians, gave him the opportunity to lead others to Christ, and enabled him to defend the gospel before the courts of Rome. When you have the single mind, your circumstances work for you and not against you.

As the holidays approach, make this your goal. View all that you do through the window of what Christ has done for you. As you shop, don’t get caught up in the hype and marketing traps of the culture. Instead, with each gift, remember the gift of God to you, give gifts out of a heart of love, not of duty or compulsion. When preparing a meal, or entertaining family and friends, do so with an eye toward glorifying Christ, not yourself. “In all that you do, in word of deed, do it all to the glory of God.”

The Submissive Mind (chapter 2). This chapter focuses on people, and the key verse says: "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better [more important] than themselves." (vs. 3). In chapter one, Paul puts Christ first. In this chapter, he puts others second. Which means he puts self last!

The reason people aggravate us so much is usually because we do not have our own way. If we go through life putting ourselves first, and others go through life putting themselves first, then at many points there are going to be terrific battles.

But the Christian with the submissive mind does not expect others to serve him; he serves others. He considers the good of others to be more important than his own plans and desires.

While Paul sat there, chained to a Roman guard, he thought of others. He said, because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. Did you hear that? “Because of my chains, most of the brothers have been encouraged.” Paul’s only thought was for other people. Imagine what your life would be like this holiday season if you adopted that kind of submissive mind. If your every action and thought was with the best interest of others in mind. It would take away so much of the pressure we put on ourselves. Instead of being disappointed with the actions or inaction of others, we would not even notice their faults, simply desiring to serve them and love them.

The Spiritual Mind (chapter 3). Eleven (11) times in this chapter Paul uses the word "things."

He points out that most people "mind earthly things" (vs. 19), but that the spiritually minded Christian is concerned about heavenly things. Philippians 3:20: "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." The person with the spiritual mind looks at the things of this world from heaven’s point of view – and what a difference that makes! The quest for "things" is robbing people of joy, and this includes Christians. We want to possess things, and then we discover that things possess us. The only way to victory and joy is to have the spiritual mind and to look at things from God’s point of view. Like Paul, we must have:

· The right values (3:1-11) Paul says in verse 3:7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. I consider them rubbish. Paul was a man born to position and authority in Jerusalem, but he realized that all his stuff gained him nothing eternal, and when He found that eternal component, the glory of this world faded.

· The right vigor (3:12-16) We need to be people who, when the pressures and distractions of the world crowd in, discipline ourselves to keep our focus. Paul talks about his Christian walk as a professional athlete. Keeping his attention and energy focused on the goal – the goal of maturing in our walk with Christ.

· The right vision (3:17-21) In verses 19 and 20, Paul describes those who are enemies of Christ – “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame. Their mind is on earthly things, But our citizenship is in heaven. We must be very careful not to fall victim to the world’s trap of measuring happiness and joy by our possessions. Things do not satisfy. CBS just did a study of teen agers, and found out that as the income of the American home increased, the level of happiness in teens decreased. The lower the income of the family, the higher the level of happiness. The world ignores its own statistics! Everyone still believes that happiness and joy are found in the next gift, the larger home, the sportier car. Joy is not found in things, it is found in Christ.

The Secure Mind (chapter 4). Worry is actually wrong thinking (the mind) and wrong feeling (the heart) about circumstances, people, and things. So, if we have the single mind, the submissive mind, and the spiritual mind, we should not have too much trouble with worry. All that we need is something to guard the heart and mind so that worry will not enter. Philippians 4:7: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Follow along as I read Philippians 4:4-9

This passage describes the spiritual resources the Christian has in Christ: peace, power, and provisions of God. We have the peace of God to guard us (vs. 7), and the God of peace to guide us (vs. 9). The peace of God comes to us when we practice right praying (vs. 6-7), right thinking (vs. 8) and right living (vs. 9). This is God’s secret for victory over all worry!

When you place these guards around your mind, you have in place a security system against the joy robbers that will not only protect you through the holidays, but throughout the year and for the rest of your life.

If you struggle with the joy robbers at this time of year, let me borrow a prescription from Chuck Swindoll, take a dose of Philippians daily for the next 6 weeks. Read, and re-read the book. Allow these 104 verses to settle into your mind, and allow the Word of God to do Its transforming work in you, giving you a single mind, dependent on Christ, not circumstances; a submissive mind, putting others first rather than being disappointed with them; a spiritual mind, focusing on the glory of God, not the things that surround us; and a secure mind, guarded by the peace of God, because all our anxieties have been presented to Him.

Prayer.