Minister’s Corner: Where’s your joy?

1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, “Rejoice evermore.” Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice.”
I’ve always been fascinated with why the apostle Paul felt it necessary to repeat himself in Philippians 4:4. Then I stopped to think that as a parent, I oftentimes had to repeat myself. Why? It was because my children weren’t listening. They weren’t paying attention to me.
There are many Christians who struggle with this idea of having joy in their lives. Their problem is they don’t have any joy at all. You would think, by looking at their faces, that serving Christ is comparable to sucking on persimmons. The fact is, when we are in a personal relationship with the Lord, we should be the happiest people on the face of this earth. God has made his people some precious promises, and God is not a man that he should lie. No matter how bad the circumstances in your life may be, the Lord is with you, for He said he would never leave nor forsake us. This is cause to rejoice. This is cause for us to exhibit our joy in the midst of trials.
For the Christian, joy is more than an emotion. Joy is a tool God gives us to overcome our circumstances, to empower us to rise above the pain and sorrows of this life. It is a tool for us to use to take control of our lives. Today, experience the joy of life that Christ wants you to have. Take control of your situation. Don’t let it control you. Where is your joy?