Joy does not depend on Circumstances

Philippians 3:1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.

Happiness is the worlds cheap imitation of Christian joy. Happiness is dependent on happening, on hap, which is another word for luck. Someone who is hapless is luckless. When we have joy, it can be our constant possession because it does not depend on the circumstances of the day. Paul said, Rejoice in the Lord! This philosophy made it possible for him to endure all kinds of problems and still move forward in his walk with Christ. When he wrote his second letter to the church at Corinth, he listed just a few of the things he had endured. Now we know how we endured them. He had the strength of genuine joy in his life. How could any one man experience all these things and still have the spirit of joy? Paul understood what most modern men do not, that joy and pain are often compatible emotions.