Life is hard! We are struggling in our relationships and our mental and emotional reserves are empty. We need something far greater than we can touch, purchase or come up with on our own. Something that will help us survive the hardest seasons of life. Join Robin Meadows as she shares this 4-day plan taken from the full length Bible study Joy is a Person: A Deep Dive into Philippians.
Robin Meadows
Day 1
Scriptures: Philippians 1:4-6, Philippians 1:12-14, Psalms 126:5
Life is Hard
The year 2020 taught us many things we never wanted to learn.
Most of us went through disappointments and lost people we knew and loved. All of us went through the fear of an unknown virus and its devastating effects. Staying home 24/7 during quarantine often felt like prison and people struggled during this time, even more than usual. I know some who divorced, some who fell back into addictions, and many who battled with depression.
While the year 2020 was very difficult, no matter the year, life, in general, is very hard. Do you agree?
To get away from it all we often accept appealing offers of rest, relaxation, and freedom from pressure, hoping to find a measure of happiness. Just take me away from here! The reality is, life’s difficulties continue even after these momentary pleasures dissipate. There’s more work to do, more bills to pay, more arguments to settle, more difficult people to deal with. That’s because our happiness is always contingent on happenings: when things don’t happen the right way—our way—we aren’t happy.
Might there be a better way of living rather than chasing after fleeting happiness? Is there something lasting that isn’t dependent on other people or our surroundings? I believe so. It was true for Paul. In His letter to the Philippians, joy seemed to be a tangible presence that remained with him, even in prison. Paul even used the words “joy” or “rejoice” eighteen times in this letter to his friends.
Like Paul, our struggles and difficulties are very real and seem to come one after the other. But maybe, just as Paul did, we can discover joy—not in a relaxing location or a comfortable life—but as we press through our difficulties and disappointments.
By the time Paul wrote this letter, he had encountered so many trials and struggles that being locked in prison again had almost become his new normal. I’m not suggesting he enjoyed it. I’m just saying that his words tell us he experienced joy even in this place, even in his struggles. His faith muscles were strong and he wasn’t living by his feelings. He had learned to lean into the difficulty, to rise and live above it. He had discovered that joy had nothing to do with a location or an event but that joy is a Person! Paul was confident in the power of the risen Christ who met him in every situation. My hope is that through the study of Paul’s words, and others, we can learn the same.
Father, I know I really don’t have a lot to whine about, but here I am. Life really is hard and I have to admit, sometimes I really don’t enjoy where I am and what I’m going through. I’m kind of a mess, but I know You already know that and love me anyway. Will You meet me here, right where I am?
Day 2
Scriptures: Hebrews 12:2, Psalms 43:4, Psalms 51:12, Isaiah 35
What is Joy?
“There is no disaster so disastrous as the disaster of sin and there is no rescue more wonderful than the rescue of grace.” —Paul Tripp
Jesus’s coming was to bring joy to the world—joy to you! During his lifetime he turned the world upside down from the normal patterns of living and thinking and offered a new way to live. He taught love and patience in the face of anger and frustration; truth and grace to counter religion and rules, giving over taking, forgiveness over offense, and so much more. He came to offer redemption for sin and to bring the Kingdom of God to earth. At the pinnacle of His own agony on the cross, Jesus’s great desire for you to experience joy became His own joy!
“…For the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV).
What an unbelievable exchange of joy! He was willing to step down from his Father’s right hand to come into our world and experience heartache, suffering, rejection, betrayal, and loss for you and for me!
The salvation Jesus came to offer was to bring you into alignment with His Father, to bridge the separation that sin created. His gift of salvation and willingness to stand in your place as a holy sacrifice transforms you into the person you were created to be: a precious, righteous child of God, full of life, love, and joy, set free from all guilt and shame.
From His immense sacrifice Jesus wasn’t hoping for you to have just a tiny bit of joy in your life. His desire was, and is, for you to have fullness of joy—abundant, overflowing, and everlasting.
Your ability to experience great joy mattered to Jesus then, and it still does today.
Jesus is joy. Joy is a Person!
Father, may I always remember the price You paid for me and that it was Your joy to stand in my place. Help me to understand that Your joy in rescuing me is my joy and ability to press through every difficulty. Please rescue me from the things that weigh me down and prevent me from being who You have created me to be. Help me to see myself as You see me: Your favorite, precious child.
Day 3
Scriptures: James 1:1-4, John 15:9-11, Proverbs 17:22
Joy is a Choice
Joy is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds. James 1:2 (NIV).
To be honest, I’ve rolled my eyes at this verse many times. I’ve quickly skimmed past it looking for a more appealing scripture a little further down the page. How can we possibly be expected to name our trials “joy”?
It’s been difficult for me to consider everything that happens as joy. How can anyone think of joy when you have a flat tire and you’ll be late to work? There is no joy when you are sick, your paycheck doesn’t cover all the bills, someone you love is ill or passes from this life, or even in the mundane things we have to do every day.
It seems counterintuitive to find joy in hard things. But I have some good news for you about the word “consider.”
This word is from the Greek verb, hegeomai, meaning to lead, to go before, to rule or command, to have authority over.
James isn’t suggesting that we simply pull a happy emotion from thin air and decide to go with it. Rather, he is convinced that choosing joy—Jesus—and allowing Him to lead instead of our feelings is the way to endure our troubles.
Now, I don’t know about you, but this idea is far easier for me to wrap my mind around! Maybe James and I can be friends again.
In your deepest, darkest times you will have the opportunity to make a choice for joy before the fears and what-ifs lead you to panic. Choosing joy will go against everything your senses tell you, but allowing joy to lead you is activation of your faith in God and proves you believe Jesus is alive!
Father, thank You that when life is hard I don’t have to work up a feeling of joy, but simply take Your hand and allow You to lead me through every difficulty. Today I make a choice for You—for joy. As I choose to focus on You and Your promises to me, please help me remember that You are enough in every circumstance and I will make it through every difficulty in life as I choose to stay by Your side.
Day 4
Scriptures: Philippians 1:12, Philippians 4:4, Philippians 4:21-23, Isaiah 55:12-13
You Shall Go Out with Joy!
As a reminder, joy is not a feeling. Joy is the presence of Jesus in everything we encounter in life. As Paul’s words demonstrated throughout his letter to the Philippians, even chains could not contain this Joy!
Paul’s closing words to his friends in Philippi (Philippians 4:21-23) also include greetings from those in Caesar’s household where he was under house arrest. These scriptures help us to understand that Paul had influence with those around him, even while he was in chains. In Philippians 1:12 (NIV) he tells his readers that “what has happened to me has actually helped to advance the gospel.”
A commentary on this passage tells us “If Paul had been able to share the news of Jesus freely around Rome, he would have reached many of the normal, everyday people of the city, to be sure. But in prison, he had the ear of the most specialized and hard-core group of soldiers in the entire Roman Empire. Paul spent 17,520 hours of one-on-one time with those who worked in Caesar’s household and reported to Caesar himself. Over his two-year sentence, he likely had as many as two dozen guards—high-ranking officers who could spread his message to countless others in high-ranking positions.” (MacArthur, New Testament Commentary: Philippians, 60)
Paul’s influence had great value in the Kingdom, and so does yours.
What if we began to view our life as an opportunity, not to shove the Word of God down the throats of those near us, but to shine the light of His goodness and love by how we live each day? We can smile and represent Him well. We can speak words of hope, encouragement, and life to those around us. His joy begins first in our heart, then in our home. Our circle of influence includes those we work with, workout with, attend church with, the check-out person at the store, and those on the PTA board. Our expression of the joy of Jesus within us becomes a ripple of joy affecting those we encounter each day.
Isaiah 55 speaks of the covenant of grace God made with His people—a description of His Kingdom.
Verse 12 (NIV) tells us, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace…”
This is a truth and a promise for us. The Hebrew word, yatsa, “you will go” is a verb meaning to lead out; to move forward with purpose. When we purposefully carry the joy of Jesus within us, as James described in James 1:2, we can live each day with exuberance, knowing that we are touching this dark world with a glimpse of God’s glory.
No matter what we experience in life, our pain is not wasted, nor are our difficulties diminished. Rather, our struggles are opportunities for His light to shine even brighter within us. We are Joy-bringers! By reflecting His joy, we can brighten someone’s day, conquer a spirit of heaviness, and lead others into a deeper revelation of the goodness of God.
When Jesus is our heart’s passion we will have unending joy. Joy that remains. Joy for eternity. And eternity with Jesus begins today because Joy is a Person.
Father, thank You for being my great joy! Help me to step into my place, leading with Your joy, and believing that You intentionally have me in this place and with these people for Your purposes and glory. Give me hope that even the smallest of things done with You will have an eternal impact for Your Kingdom.