That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
— Philippians 3:10
When a person is pure and focused upon Christ, what else can he be but joyful? Pure and focused people are happy people. Such joy cannot be manufactured; no matter how much someone tells you to cheer up, it will not make you cheerful. If you want to be happy, be pure and focused upon Christ!
The reason many saints are unhappy is because they are impure. Some feel they will never be happy until they become an elder. Others are waiting to be appreciated by the elders. Some sisters are seeking to become coordinating sisters. Some may even be upset because their songs were not included in the latest songbook. In other words, it is very easy to be impure and to miss the joy of simply having Jesus.
Another reason many are unable to experience joyfulness is because they try to do too much. They are concerned about how to be the most useful, and they become involved in many, many things. The Lord, however, is more concerned about whether or not we can simply love Him. If we can be so pure and simple for Christ, we will experience a life of joy. Such joy should be what characterizes our church life. Ours should be a life that is genuine and focused upon Christ. Philippians portrays such a church life in which the saints are pure, focused upon Christ, and joyful.
Adapted from Oneness and the One Accord, pages 57-58.
Monday: “An Organic Oneness”