Title: Mystery of Religious Joy (Philippians 4:4)
Mystery of Religious Joy
Philippians 4:4
When this happens, we laugh. Laughter is so good that it not only relieves stress by relaxing tension, but also has an aerobic effect by affecting heart rate, muscle condition, and blood circulation. It is said that even if we laugh out loud for only 20 seconds, it will bring about the effect of rowing with labor for 5 minutes.
The Apostle Paul reiterates in today's verse that the Christian life should be joyful and that the Christian life should be especially enjoyable. “Rejoice in the Lord always, I say again, rejoice.” We should remember Paul's emphasis on “in the Lord.”
Research by psychologists shows when people are happy. First, it is said that in order for a person to be happy, he must be loved. Receiving love from someone brings uncontrollable joy. It is also said that people are happy when they get something they think is precious. People who want to make money are happy when they do. A person who wants to be honored rejoices when he has it. Those who pursue the depths of academia rejoice when the results of their studies are satisfactory. They are also said to be happy when they accept their circumstances well. It doesn't matter whether I live well or not, whether my own circumstances prosper or not. It is said that there is joy in accepting one's circumstances well. Lastly, he said that the most important joy is the joy that comes from sharing what you have with others. Joy comes when someone with wealth divides it and invests it in good works. Joy comes when people with knowledge share their knowledge with future generations. Joy arises when those who receive the good news share it with others. Ordinary psychologists describe the degree of pleasure in these four ways.
English is 'JOY'. A careful analysis of this word reveals what true Christian joy is like. The first letter J in this word is Jesus. That means that Jesus must come first in my life. O stands for Others, which means that neighbors must come after God in the field in my life. And Y stands for You. It means real joy comes from thinking of you at the very end. How much have we changed this order in the field of our lives? Haven't you always wanted me to be in the front seat or the middle seat when praying, thinking, serving, and living? The grammar in the world is always the first person ', but don't forget that the first person in the Bible is always ', the second person needs my help, and the third person is '. Therein lies true joy. This is it. What Paul is talking about today is the way to rejoice in the Lord.
It is a story from Greek mythology. A woman tried to cross the lake. Then the boatman said: “Why don’t you drink water from the lake and cross?”, “What will happen if you drink water?”, “You will forget all the troubles of the past.”, “That’s great. I will gladly drink water.”, “But one thing to keep in mind is that all the good memories of the past will be forgotten.” After a long hesitation, the woman said, “I will not drink water.” What are you talking about? The weight of joy and love is incomparable to the weight of sorrow and suffering, and is incomparably beautiful and valuable.
Dear saints!
Do you think the world is not beautiful and there is no joy? The world is dark because I am not happy. Do you think that there is no joy in me because I hate people? I hate people because I am not happy. Do you regret that sometimes your life of faith becomes a burden, and sometimes you feel like you are losing money because of your faith? Whenever that happens, please think deeply. It is because I do not have the religious joy that I should have. I hope that you will find in Paul's words today and live in that joy. “Rejoice in the Lord always, I say again, rejoice.”