Many people don't enjoy life; they just endure it. They don't enjoy happiness. We think that life must be perfect for us to be happy. If I could just change my situation life would be great. If I could just get rid of all my problems. But there's no such thing as a problem-free life. If you're going to learn to be happy and joyful, you must learn to be joyful in the situation, in the problems, in the very experiences of life.
We learn that Paul has been in miserable circumstances for four years. He was in prison for two years. Then he is put on a ship to go to Rome to appear before Nero. On the way he's shipwrecked, stranded on an island, bitten by a poisonous snake, waits the winter there, continues on to Rome, spends another two years in prison awaiting trial to be executed. During this two year period in Rome he is chained to a guard for 24 hours a day. He has absolutely no privacy. Every four hours he gets a new guard.
Yet in spite of all of these situations, Paul says in Phil. 1:18 "I rejoice and I will continue to rejoice." What's Paul's secret? How does he stay positive in prison, triumph over troubles, delight in difficulties, stay so happy, positive, joyful in spite of the fact that everything has not turned out the way he planned it? Paul gives us four secrets.
You need a perspective to live from. The perspective you need to live from if you're going to have joy in your life is Romans 8:28 "And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him..."
You need a priority to live from. Learn to live by priority, rather than by problems. Either you'll decide what's important in your life or you'll let other people decide what's important. If you don't choose your priorities, you'll go around putting out one fire after another, living your life simply from problem to problem to problem and not choosing what's important.
What should I live by? Proverbs 3:6 "In everything you do, put God first and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success." This is what counts: putting God first.
You need a power to live on. Life can wear you out. Life can drain you completely. One crisis after another can drain you. You lose your energy and your power. Some of you are ready to throw in the towel. You say, "I've done the best I could, but it's not good enough and I'm tired and sick." You need a fresh power supply.
You can't live without hope. You've got to have hope to cope. Cornell University did a study of 25,000 POWs from WWII. They found that man can handle tremendous stress and pressure as long as he has hope. The moment hope is gone you're doomed.
Where do you get your hope to keep on keeping on? God's answer to personal energy crisis: Phil. 4:13 "I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me."
You need a purpose to live for. Paul had a long term goal. He looked at things in the light of eternity. Phil. 3:13-14 "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." The best use of your life is to invest it in something that will outlast it.
Here is your thought for the week: It's great to be a Christian, but I'm not a Christian because I'm afraid I'm going to die tonight but because I've got to live tomorrow.
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