How To Increase your Joy

What is Joy?

What is the difference between joy and happiness?

How can we have joy in the midst of hard times?

Let’s read how paul did this.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul had total joy in terrible circumstances

-He was in jail

-He was excluded from things by everyone

-He was branded a liar and a lunatic

-He was beaten and stoned, dipped in boiling oil, excommunicated to a different land

How did Paul have this unshakeable joy?

-True Christian Fellowship brings joy

-Wrong fellowship breeds discontentment and hatred ()

-Walketh not in counsel of ungodly, nor stands in way of sinners, nor sits in seat of scronful

Paul is using 3 thoughts that describe