Let me begin by saying this is not my original idea or content. I heard it in a sermon today, and am trying to internalize it.
We all seek happiness. In our job, our relationships, or possessions. Happiness is (and I can’t currently think of a better metaphor) like a bar of soap that constantly slips out of our hands.
In Jesus is the solution: Joy. Joy is independent of our circumstances. How do we get joy if we’re believers? We “rejoice in the Lord” as Philippians 4 commands. We don’t worry about the future because we will be in Heaven with Jesus and the Father. We will have perfect fellowship. We will have bodies that don’t wear out.
Jesus redeemed us when we were sinners. In spite of the fact that we deserve God’s judgment, we get his mercy, his grace, his blessings, and best of all, his loving presence. “Nothing can separate us from the love of God” as Romans states.
I don’t feel like I’m doing it justice. My words fail, so let me give you His. Philippians 4:4-7
“Rejoice[c] in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.[d] 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philippians+4&version=NRSV
How is our joy complete? Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. It is manifested from the inside. Happiness comes from circumstances outside. If you abide in Jesus, you will have joy.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”
https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=abide+in+me&qs_version=NRSV
Part of this fruit we bear through Christ is joy. When we worry about finances, we remind ourselves that our Father owns the cattle on 1000 hills. When we worry about today, we remind ourselves that God provides for the sparrows and clothes the lilies of the field. When we worry about the future, we remind ourselves that we know how the story ends. We overcome the world with Jesus, and we reign with Him as vassal kings and queens in his eternal kingdom. It’s spelled out in the book of Revelation. When we fear, we remind ourselves of the many times God has delivered us, answered our prayers, provided for our needs.
it’s as if joy is a choice. A choice to focus on Christ and not our circumstances. A command to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. A miraculous produce grown from the nourishment and strength of abiding in Christ and his power at work in us.
Don’t keep searching for your happiness in external, shifting things. Come to Jesus, and find the joy that comes from a right relationship with Him.