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Philippians 1:1-11
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons[a]: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Having a positive personality makes us feel good, but having joy is not based on happiness or circumstances, it's something that we cultivate through Christ. We can cultivate joy by practicing our gratitude and remembering all the good things that God had done for us. The more grateful we are, the more joyful we can become.
God is greater than our mistakes, and His mercy is not attached to our wrong-doings. If He started something in your life, He will finish it. He is directing us to not walk in circles but always leads us to His path. Enjoy the journey loving what God is doing. Remember, when you make joy a habit in your life you’ll reflect His love.
Gratitude is the seed of joy.
When Paul was imprisoned, he taught us the art of joy by remembering what God had done for his friends in Philippi, in spite of his current circumstance. Just like Paul, we can lean into the Joy of the Lord by remembering his faithfulness.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.
Philippians 1:7
It’s always exciting to start something new and to stick with it until it’s completed. But when God starts something in our lives we don’t need to walk around aimlessly, He guides and steers us until we have a clear vision of where we are going. As we look forward to what God is doing we can encourage each other to not give up and be confident that no matter where He takes us or how long, He will complete it.
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6
Joy is a weapon that can only be sharpened when we adopt a posture of gratitude for what God has done and will do. As we make joy a habit, our reflex should be to love what God is doing through ourselves and others around us. You may not always like what you’re currently going through, but loving what God is doing in your life will prepare you for His will. No matter what season of life you find yourself in, remember — gratitude leads to joy and joy leads to strength. If you're having a hard time seeing what God is doing in your life, start by celebrating what he is doing in someone else's.
Reflect on how you can practice joy in your relationship with others. Choose 3 people in your VOUS Crew that you want to celebrate and shout them out in your crew’s group chat this week.
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