Finding Joy in the Most Unlikely Places

For awhile, I am going to concentrate on the book of Philippians. Philippians is one of my favorite books of the Bible, and it is my wife’s favorite. I don’t think we are alone in this.

But why? Why do people love the book of Philippians? I think the answer is quite simple. Philippians is a book about Joy, and that is one of things sorely lacking in most people.

The word “joy” is chara in Greek. It is related to other English words like grace and love and gift. A spiritual gift is a charisma. A gifted person is charismatic. Over a dozen times in this short book, Paul uses the word “joy.” He uses the Greek noun chara and the Greek verb chairo thirteen times in Philippians and words related to joy a total of nineteen times.

It’s a theme that permeates every part of this book. R.C.H. Lenski, the great Lutheran commentator, writes,

“Joy is the music that runs through this epistle, the sunshine that spreads over all of it. The whole epistle radiates joy and happiness.”

Maybe that is the reason we love this book so much because, more than anything, we long for that joy, but so rarely ever achieve it in this life. Most people live lives of quiet desperation under a cloud of gloom and dreariness, hoping to catch a handful of happiness on the weekend with a frenzy of activity before Monday returns them to the normalcy of sadness.

Unfortunately, Joy is elusive to most of us, so we should be able to learn something from what brought Paul joy. We should be able to apply the truths he shares and come up with a little bit of this joy for ourselves. And that would make this book super good news for us, wouldn’t it, if Paul could just share that secret of joy?

So how could Paul be so filled with joy? Was he sitting on top of the world? Was everything turning up roses? Had he just won the Roman lottery or something? Had he just snagged a hot new date in one of the towns he traveled through? Had he received an award as “Apostle of the Year,” or something? Had he just had a successful evangelistic campaign with thousands saved and huge collections rolling in? Hardly! Even though stuff like that is what many of us think is necessary to be happy.

On the contrary, Paul had none of those things. Surprisingly, Paul wasn’t sitting on top of the world, he was sitting in a prison cell with the prospect of being beheaded a more likely scenario than release. And that situation only capped off a career as an apostle filled with tragedy and sorrow.

2nd Corinthians 11:23-30 is a passage in which Paul bears his soul and tells of his own personal condition in life. And when you finish reading it, I doubt if any of you will envy him. But as you read it, remember, this is written by the man telling us how to have joy.

2nd Corinthians 11:23-30

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?
30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.

That’s not the life experience of a man we would normally consider joyful. If anything, that biography would make us think that he should be the most miserable of men, not the man that he was, filled with joy.

So, Paul’s life should really illustrate the truth that joy comes in spite of life’s circumstances, rather than because of them. So our current condition isn’t the determining factor in whether we have joy or not.

Paul had experienced all the “good things of life,” but that was all before he met Jesus on the Damascus Road and was gloriously saved and before he had been commissioned as an apostle. Back then, before he trusted Christ, everything was coming up roses.

He told us about that too in Philippians 3:4-6:

4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Everything that a young Jewish male would dream of, Paul had and he had in abundance. He had the best of everything that being a Jew could offer. He was one of the elite in Israelite society - a real up-and-comer with a great future ahead of him. He was the envy of the masses. Yet, he gave it all up to follow Christ.

Philippians 3:7-9 records this:

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

In our day and age, when most people who call themselves Christian won’t give up anything to follow Christ; how refreshing that is. And yet, it led only to personal hardship and suffering for Paul. But not once do we ever read that Paul lost his patience or threw a fit. He viewed every situation as an opportunity to glorify Christ, and he was content to be in the center of God’s will, even if it meant this imprisonment. Certainly, we, living in our freedom and prosperity, should be able to do the same.

But above all, Paul saw the opportunity for joy in all of this. In his soul, he was not miserable, but joyful. So the possibility for us to find joy, even in our condition, must be possible. It’s got to be within our grasp. But our perspective must be that of Paul’s