Keeping Your Joy

By Paul Chappell

"For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick. For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow."

Philippians 2:26-27

As Paul penned the epistle of Philippians, the church at Philippi was concerned about a man from their church named Epaphroditus who had been very sick. Epaphroditus was away from Philippi, and when the church heard that he was battling sickness, they had become so concerned for him that they allowed it to overshadow their lives and steal their joy in serving God. Of course, we should pray for a sick or hurting fellow believer, but this church had let it hinder their work.

The devil is actively trying to steal your joy as a Christian. He can't change your eternal future once you're saved, but he can limit your effectiveness on earth and steal your joy.

Maybe your plans got changed last minute and created frustration. Maybe a friend or family member reacted harshly toward you and hurt you. Maybe a coworker lied about you. Whatever the circumstance, the devil seeks to use life's ups and downs to steal your joy.

Don't allow little things in life to keep you from joyfully serving the Lord. Things go wrong, plans change, and rough times come; but if you are daily in God's Word, you can still have joy despite the bad times.

Have you allowed the devil to steal your joy? It may not even come through something major or something outwardly bad, but little changes can take away a Christian's once joyful spirit of service. Readjust your heart and focus on having God's joy today.