You Have A Choice…So Why
Not Rejoice?
“(I am ready to be poured out like a
drink offering)…I will rejoice, and I want to share my joy with all of you. And
you should be happy about this and rejoice with me.” Philippians 2:17
Someone once said, “Everyone is going
to be a thermometer or a thermostat…either, you will set the temperature or
someone else will set it for you.” One
of the greatest lessons Paul continues to teach us is that you can find God
working in every circumstance. The bottom line: Joy is a
decision.
You are as joyful as you choose to be.
If you’re discouraged today, it’s because you’re choosing to be
discouraged. You can choose to be
joyful because there are many things you can be joyful about. God is saying, If you learn to be content and
you choose to make the right decision, you can be joyful. We get caught up in “When and then”
thinking. “When ‘this’ happens in my
life, then I’ll be happy. When I get
married, then I’ll be happy…. When I get a job then I’ll be happy….When I
graduate then I’ll be happy.
When….” fill in the blank, “then
I’ll be happy.” “No you won’t.” You are
as happy as you choose to be. You’re as
joyful as you choose to be.
John Maxwell tells a story that
illustrates the importance of a positive attitude. A newly married woman insisted on
going to the California
desert so she could be near her soldier husband. The only place the couple
could find to live was a rundown shack near an Indian village. The daytime heat
was unbearable-105 degrees in the shade. The dry wind blew constantly, covering
everything with dust. None of the
Indians spoke English. The young wife was miserable. Then she learned that her
husband was going deeper into the desert for 2 weeks. So she wrote her mother
and asked if she could come home.
In her
mother’s reply were these words: "Two men looked through prison bars; one
saw mud, the other saw stars." As the woman read those lines over and
over, she decided to change. She would look for the stars. She set out to make
friends with the Indians. When they saw
her genuine interest, they taught her weaving
and pottery. She learned their culture. Then
she began to study the desert itself-its cacti, Joshua trees, and seashells
left behind by the sands of
an ocean floor. Not only did she
survive, she became known as an expert on the area and later published a book
about it. Are you in an unbearable, inescapable situation? Do you have a negative attitude? Look at the
situation positively and make the best of it with the help of God. Who knows? You might end up writing a book.
In Philippians 2:17,
Paul set His own pace. He says,“(I am ready to be poured out like a drink
offering)…I will rejoice, and I want to share my joy with all of you. And you should
be happy about this and rejoice with me.”
Some of you are facing some not so
happy circumstances right now.
You may be
going through some very tough times. Some
of you are having to swallow a bitter pill right now: Financially…Physically… A Relationship. You think, “There’s nothing in my life worth
being joyful about.”
“How can I be joyful when everything is wrong
in my life?” Two reasons: One, I
can always be joyful no matter what happens because I know God is in control. Paul says, “I’m
going to keep on being glad [remember he’s in prison awaiting execution] for I know that as you pray for me and as
the Holy Spirit helps me, this is all going to turn out for my good.” He says, I’ve got a couple of encouragements
here: you’re praying for me and the Holy Spirit’s helping me But here’s the real issue: God sees it all,
God knows it all, God cares about it all, God’s in control of it all, God will
use it for my good, God will give me the power that I need. So what am I worried about? Nothing.
Paul wrote this in a Roman prison (NT written). Paul said, “I trust God’s plan better than my own. Therefore, I am full of joy
because I know God has a better plan.” Now, go ahead and choose joy today. You won’t regret it!
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1) Why is joy a challenge when things are
going well versus when they are going against us?
2) Name one of the most joyful times
you’ve ever experienced.
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright 2014- Terry
Risser
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