The fingerprints of joy

Last week, I wrote about my new (second-hand) car and joy, a vivid emotion of pleasure and gladness. And if I remember correctly, I signed off by asking how one could find joy that will endure, providing strength in this life and a reward in the next. Joy, after all, is something of an elusive commodity, especially when it is linked to transient things like possessions, health, pleasant circumstances or the fact that one’s new (second-hand) car allows one to adjust the level of one’s bottom in the driver’s seat ... sorry – I forgot myself for a moment then.

So this week, I would like to explore the subject of enduring joy. One way of doing this is to begin tracing the fingerprints of joy in Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

The Philippians stirred up pleasure and gladness in Paul’s heart. We see evidence of this when Paul claims that, “in all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy” (v4).  The cause of this joy is spelled out in the next verse: “because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now”.

Therefore, it was a gospel partnership that stoked up the joy in Paul’s heart. A gospel partnership is one that extends the cause of the gospel, holding out eternal life to a dying world. Paul established his partnership with the Philippians when he preached the gospel to them and took a severe beating in the process (Acts 16). Then, the Philippians continued the partnership by supporting Paul financially whether “in chains or defending and confirming the gospel” (v7).

The Philippians supported Paul’s ministry when it was thriving, and when he had freedom to travel and preach (4:15-16). Then when Paul was imprisoned and his ministry appeared to be crumbling, they did not abandon Paul. Instead, they sent Epaphroditus with money to look after him (v18). How could Paul fail to experience joy when he reflected on the wonder of his gospel partnership with these big-hearted and generous people? Further, the fruit of the partnership had eternal value, sparking joy that would endure forever.

I bet that the results are not in on your gospel partnerships. One day, God will let you see how they have shaped eternity. Yet how often do you look to your gospel partnerships as a source of joy? How important are they to you? If you are anything like me, I turn to many other sources of joy that are far less enduring, so please excuse me whilst I go and fiddle with the driver’s seat on my new (second-hand) car.

Cheers for now - Ian