Rom.15:13 pairs hope with joy: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Joy is only achievable through the certainty of hope. When surrounded by uncertainty and we reside in that uncertainty, joy is not possible.
The world is filled with people who are looking to experience what they consider to be joy. All they are able to find, however, are brief flashes of cheerfulness and good feeling. The Greek chara (G5479), which means “gladness and rejoicing,” goes considerably further than the simple human feelings of happiness, joy, or excitement. According to Paul genuine joy is intense because it exist amidst hardship, pain and misery.
For many people happiness is circumstantial. While happiness is brief, joy is unlimited because it is independent of circumstances and that is the key which unlocks our understanding of this great truth.
Joy is the main theme of Paul’s prison epistle to the Philippian Christians. He mentions chara about five times (Phil. 1:4; 1:25; 2:2; 2:29 [“gladness”]; 4:1). Not only that, but he uses a number of other words to convey his joy, which are translated “rejoice” eight times and “glad” three times. Joy is therefore, a nonstop, bold nonetheless in the epistle to the Philippians. Regardless of what happens, joy never fails to remember, never grows fainter and never falls short because the joy of every blood bought believer is always in the Lord.
Review and Meditation: According to 1 Thess. 2:19 what does the Christian have hope and joy in? Like Paul, what are Christians encouraged to do by James 1:2?
The world is filled with people who are looking to experience what they consider to be joy. All they are able to find, however, are brief flashes of cheerfulness and good feeling. The Greek chara (G5479), which means “gladness and rejoicing,” goes considerably further than the simple human feelings of happiness, joy, or excitement. According to Paul genuine joy is intense because it exist amidst hardship, pain and misery.
For many people happiness is circumstantial. While happiness is brief, joy is unlimited because it is independent of circumstances and that is the key which unlocks our understanding of this great truth.
Joy is the main theme of Paul’s prison epistle to the Philippian Christians. He mentions chara about five times (Phil. 1:4; 1:25; 2:2; 2:29 [“gladness”]; 4:1). Not only that, but he uses a number of other words to convey his joy, which are translated “rejoice” eight times and “glad” three times. Joy is therefore, a nonstop, bold nonetheless in the epistle to the Philippians. Regardless of what happens, joy never fails to remember, never grows fainter and never falls short because the joy of every blood bought believer is always in the Lord.
Review and Meditation: According to 1 Thess. 2:19 what does the Christian have hope and joy in? Like Paul, what are Christians encouraged to do by James 1:2?
Joy - (Greek chara )
Pronounced - khar-ah’
Pronounced - khar-ah’
ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩ
"It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" - Jesus Matt. 4:4
Glorifying the Triune God by creatively declaring the relevancy and practicality of His timeless Word.