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April 15, 2017 By Phil Ressler Leave a Comment

40 Things NOT to Give up for Lent: 40.Joy

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4, ESV)

Rejoice Always

We are almost there. Today is the last day of Lent. We have been preparing for this moment for the last 40 days. Tomorrow is Easter. Easter is the day we celebrate the resurrection. It is a day that is marked with joy and celebration. But this joy is not to be reserved for one day of the year. Jesus is alive every day.

The Apostle Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS. The most remarkable thing about this verse was that Paul wrote this verse from prison. The prisons of the ancient world were terrible places to be. There are few worse places where Paul might have found himself. But even in these terrible conditions, Paul says: “Rejoice!”

Joy is a mindset. It is more than an emotion. Happiness is an emotion. Happiness is based on circumstances. Joy is not. I can be unhappy and still have joy. Joy is a supreme confidence that comes from God no matter what circumstance I might face.

If all I ever pursued was what made me happy, I would live a miserable life. The things that are good for me are not necessarily what makes me happy in a given moment. The pursuit of fleeting happiness will rob me of lasting joy. Discipline does not make me happy. But there is joy that is derived from living a disciplined life.

I am certain the cross did not make Jesus happy. But we are told that it was for the JOY set before him, that he endured the cross (see Hebrews 12:2). He was not living for happiness, but living for joy. The joy was salvation for you and me and eternity together with him.

Surprised by Joy

The story of Easter is such a great story because it is so unexpected. The women that come to the tomb did not discover what they thought they would see. They expected to find a dead bodied hidden in a cave. What they discovered was that Jesus alive. It was more than they could have hoped or imagined.

This is the point. God is full of surprises. A life in Christ is filled with unexpected surprises that bring amazing joy. We never know the doors that God will open up and the stones we will roll away when a life is lived in faith.

I leave you with the the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:14. It is my prayer for you:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14–19, ESV)

May you experience greater things in God to be filled with immeasurable Easter joy!

Reflection

How would you describe the difference between happiness and joy?
Where do you find joy? How do you make your aim joy rather than happiness?
How do you share joy with others?
Celebrate the resurrection! It is our hope and joy.

April 18, 2014 By Phil Ressler 1 Comment

Giving up Sorrow

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Good Friday

Scripture Verses

Matthew 27:1–66
1 Corinthians 15:1–58

Questions to Consider

Why is Good Friday good?
Why should we not fear death?
What does it mean that Jesus conquered death?

Plan of Action

Remember the cross and the resurrection. Simply reflect upon the implications of the above readings.
Participate in Good Friday Worship

Reflection

What is so good about Friday? Jesus died. It was a day of darkness, agony, and suffering. On this day many of us will participate in worship which is somber and sorrowful. It doesn’t seem so good.

This world is filled with grief. There is not a single person reading this who has not been touched by death in someway. There is pain and it endures a lifetime. While we may experience some healing from the pain of the loss, we will never be the same in this lifetime. There is part of us missing. It doesn’t seem so good.

Not only do we experience the pain of sorrow when it comes to death, we are also confronted with our own mortality. Our time on this earth is short. With the exception of Enoch and Elijah, the mortality rate is 100%. Sin has rendered us all with a terminal diagnosis. It’s not if we will die, but when we will die. It doesn’t seem so good.

It certainly doesn’t seem so good, but the reason we call Good Friday “good” is that it is not the end of the story. Sorrow does not get the last laugh. It may be Friday but Sunday is coming. There is more of the story yet to be told. The final act has yet to play out.

The Apostle Paul writes:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (ESV)

He does not say we do not grieve. Yes, we grieve. We grieve because of the reality of death we are confronted with. There are tears to be shed as long as we walk this earth, but we do not grieve as those who are without hope.

You might have been told to never put a period where a comma belongs. For those of us who are believers, death is not the period. It is the comma. Death is not good-bye. It is see-you-later.

On Sunday we celebrate the resurrection. Without Sunday, there is no “good” in Friday. The resurrection gives us the conviction to say:

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55 (ESV)

Jesus makes possible a new order. Death is a doorway to a new and blessed life.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4 (ESV)

On this Good Friday, we remember remember the saving work of Jesus upon the cross. It is finished! The cross is behind us. It is “good” because Jesus is risen just as he said. It’s okay to shed a tear today, but make sure to mix joy with the sorrow.

Next: My Life

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March 27, 2014 By Phil Ressler 4 Comments

Giving up the Pursuit of Happiness

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Week 3: Thursday

Scripture Verses

Psalm 30:1–12
Philippians 4:4–7
James 1:2–4

Questions to Consider

What makes you happy? What makes you unhappy?
What is the difference between happiness and joy?
How do we experience joy even when we may not be happy?
How does Jesus give us joy?

Plan of Action

Take a moment and pray to thank God for the moments of happiness in your life. Then ask him for the gift of faith and trust to experience joy in the unhappy moments of life.
Write down one thing you know will not make you happy, but is the right thing to do. Then go do it. Then come back and write down how God gave you joy in spite of your unhappiness.
Bring good cheer! Find one way that you can brighten somebody’s day. It might be giving a balloon to a child, flowers to a spouse, or a thank you note to a colleague.

Reflection

The Declaration of Independence begins:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The pursuit of happiness! It is highlighted in the Declaration of Independence. It was the title of an inspirational movie starring Will Smith. It is what so many people make to be their highest ambition in life.

The pursuit of happiness certainly seems something worthwhile to strive for. It’s certainly not a bad thing. It’s just not the best thing. Today we will give up the pursuit of happiness in exchange for a fruit of the spirit called “Joy.”

Happiness is ever elusive. We take hold of it in a moment. But just as easily as we take hold of it, it slips out of our fingers. Happiness is based upon our circumstances. Some things in life make us happy. Other things make us unhappy. Happiness is temporary because happiness is an emotion based up on our circumstances.

However, joy transcends our circumstances. Joy is a conviction. Joy is developed out of a confident trust in God knowing he is in control and has our best interests at heart. Joy looks beyond our current circumstances to God’s ultimate purposes and truths.

If you are married you know there are moments in life when your spouse makes you happy. You also know there are moments when your spouse does not make you happy. The same is true with our work, school, church, and so many other things in life.

There are many people who think God just wants them to be happy and so they will pursue in any given moment the thing that makes them happy. In the pursuit of happiness they will exchange the will of God for instant gratification. Happiness becomes a drug that is to be pursued at any cost. It doesn’t matter the devastation and the consequences caused in its wake.

Doing the right thing is not always the happy thing. But doing the right thing is ultimately the most fulfilling thing in that it will bring us joy. Joy is about a state of being. It is living with a confident faith and trust in the goodness of God.

The book of Philippians is called a prison epistle. It is a letter written from prison by the Apostle Paul. Prison was certainly not a happy experience for Paul. Ancient prisons would make modern prisons look like the Ritz Carlton. But in spite of apostle’s desperate circumstances, he speaks about joy in this letter more than in any of his other writings. He says:

Rejoice in the Lord always I will say it again rejoice. Philippians 4:4

It doesn’t say rejoice sometimes. It says rejoice always: in the good times and the bad times, the happy times and the unhappy times. Paul could rejoice even in prison because of the relationship he had with God.

So let’s give up the pursuit of happiness and join the quest for joy!

Next: Bitterness

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