When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! John 15:10-11

When we know Jesus is around we are happy regardless of circumstances. This is a joy that overtakes every situation.

Often we refer to the trials of Paul as an argument for the difficulty and suffering that are common to life. However we fail to note that even though Paul is describing very difficult circumstances he ended all such descriptions with a statement like, “nevertheless, I have joy in the Lord.” Paul had learned that joy is constant and circumstances are fleeting. How did he do it?

One case is the situation in Philippi where he was beaten and imprisoned and is found singing to the Lord. How is that possible? Really it is not difficult. Paul merely chose to realize the truth of Christ rather than succumb to the illusion of circumstance. Present circumstances were bad. He was suffering, he was uncomfortable, and he was in a great deal of pain, but… Jesus was with Him. In His presence is fullness of Joy. While, I for example, would have intensified my misery by falling into the circumstances, I would have spent the entire night in that jail. I would have focused on the disgusting mold covered wall. The rats crawling around me and scurrying about would have driven me crazy. I would have moaned and cried at the injustice of the beating and I would have despaired that no one cared about my plight. Paul made another choice.

Paul spent the night in the presence of Christ! While I would have been in jail, he spent the night in heaven. And that is all the difference. So now I must ask myself, where will I spend today? Here on earth, or in the fullness of deeply abiding joy.

AWAKE!! Micheal