JOY
In the opening chapter of 2 Corinthians 4, In what seemed like a trying time Paul encouraged the people not to lose their motivation or get discouraged even when persecution came calling from different sides.
He pushed on in his encouragement giving graphic descriptions and expressions of being pressured, pressed, perplexed, unsure of finding a way out, hunted & struck down. One thing I see constantly in this passage is the presence of hope, a hope that darkness is just fleeting, a hope that we as Christians are not alone.
When we go through moments of uncertainty, pain, loss, betrayal & sadness, one thing we find slipping away is Joy. I mean, how can joy be present in pain? Without Joy we despair, and a state of despair is not where we are meant to be.
Joy is the byproduct of hope. Our hope in Christ, our hope in His resurrection, our hope in total trust of His words.
And that hope is bound to come under attack as we live in this world, hence we need to be on guard. Guarding our hearts with all diligence is paramount. (Prov 4:23). We shouldn’t let anger, unforgiveness, resentment settle and build a home in our minds destroying our joy and displacing hope. We need to be on a lookout for what doesn’t look like Christ in us.
A troubled heart and loss of peace can inadvertently mimic any disease.
Paul went ahead in Thessalonians to let us know that even in grieving, we still have hope, even in sadness we still have joy. We need to learn to distinguish sadness from joy and hope from despair. Not negating the fact that we live in a world where doubtlessly, we would pass through things, and things would pass through us, we may get slapped by Paul discriptions in 2Corinthians, we need to constantly remember our hope, a hope born from absolute trust In Christ. Knowing He knows the way, and as long as we are in His will, we are alright.
Joy is a Christian state of mind, and that joy comes from the knowledge of Christ.
Bible Verses;
2Corinthians 4
1Thessalonians 4:13–18
Psalm 4:23
Phil 4:4
>>> Christy Ogbenjuwa (lifeasChristy)
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