Being joyful

‘Be joyful always . . . for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.’ 1 Thessalonians 5.16-18
 
It is natural for Christians to want to do God’s will, and walking outside his will may be a terrifying thought. The trouble is that we can be crippled into inaction because we are so frightened of getting it wrong.
 
Over these next three days, we will be looking at three actions we can take which we are told are what God wants for us. It is actually very releasing to think that God is far more concerned about the attitude of our hearts than the particular details of what we do in our lives.
 
The first calling is to be joyful always. This is not easy, but it does begin to be a possibility when we capture the truth that joy is not the same as present momentary happiness. We may well be in situations that do not make us happy, and indeed may actually make us miserable, but even in those situations we can have joy.
 
Joy brings a different perspective to life. Happiness is most often judged by the present moment, while joy brings a Christian understanding of hope into the situation. Hope is believing God has more for us than what we are currently experiencing, and this is what brings joy to us.
 
Take stock of the situations in your life which are far from ‘happy’. In each of these situations Jesus is there with his presence and his power.

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