Joy in the Morning

Read Philippians 4:4-9

Context: This is near the end of the book of Philippians...Paul is sharing his closing thoughts.

Text:
4 Be full of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy.
5 Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon.6 Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks.7 And God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Brothers and sisters, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.9 Do what you learned and received from me, what I told you, and what you saw me do. And the God who gives peace will be with you. (New Century Version)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

Are you joyful this morning? God has new adventures for us today, new opportunities to make the right choice, to share his love with others, and to grow closer to him through prayer and praise.

I have to admit that joy is not usually the first emotion I exude in the morning...or through the night for that matter! Long ago we rearranged our bedroom so that Doug's side of the bed was nearest to the door. My first reaction when being woken by a sick or fearful child is not one of empathy and caring...often I flail out at whatever seems to be breathing on me before I find out what it is! While I consider myself a morning person, I don't think about joy much for the first hour or so after waking.

But joy isn't necessarily something we have to think about...it is inherent in our salvation. We won't all be that bubbly person who praises God aloud at every turn (good thing...can you imagine how annoying all that perkiness would be?). But we can still share our joy with others through the things that we do. We are joyful because we know how the story ends...God wins! And he's on our side, so what can possibly weigh us down in the meantime?

So as you face traffic, cold or lousy coffee, stricter deadlines, unforeseen problems, and those perky morning people, rejoice that this, too will pass. Look for those things that will bring joy and peace to your soul, and again, rejoice!