Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - 3 Reasons For Joy (Even When Your Life Falls Apart) | New Testament | Philippians 1

Episode Date: August 31, 2023

What circumstances in your life try to take joy from you? Do you have an inner gladness that surpasses all situations? Is that kind of joy even possible? In today's episode, Tanya looks to Paul in Philippians 1 for an example of unshakeable joy that's rooted in Jesus. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in one year. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Philippians 1

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. Within just a few days of winning the state soccer championship with their high school team, two of my girls tore their ACLs. For my younger daughter, it was the first time. She's going into her sophomore year, and while she has a lot of rehab this year, she'll hopefully have two more years to enjoy high school sports. For my older daughter, it was her second ACL after just rehabbing and getting back on her first one last season. She's going to be a senior. Eric and I, well, we were almost two at ease with how well she was doing mentally and emotionally.

She made it through surgery in the first few days with a lot of positivity. There were tears, but they were the short-lived variety. The light at the end of the tunnel is coming kind of tears. But then the adrenaline wore off and the well-wishes faded and the friends were traveling and the baskets of candy got eaten. And what was left was a knee that hurt, some gnarly stitches and a grieving spirit. evidently going to senior year and football games on crutches isn't at the top of the list. Neither is missing out on tennis for the second year.

Neither is going to rehab twice a week. And certainly neither is not knowing if you're going to be able to play the sport you love most for the last time before you graduate. I sat down with her in the middle of all this, and my words surprised me. I said, life is hard, and it might get harder. It's just the way it goes. I mean, think of your own life between 18 and 35. Was it a cakewalk? What about 35 to 50 if you're there? Did it get easier? What about now? Your challenges

might be greater or much smaller than this, but it doesn't matter because no matter. It's a challenge or a trial for you. Today we're going to talk about three reasons to have joy, even if your life is falling apart. Or let's restate that, three reasons to have joy, especially when your life is falling apart. Because that's where Paul was when he wrote this chapter. Even though he doesn't, doesn't sound like it. There's nothing coy or trivial about the kind of joy that Paul's talking about in Philippians. It's not a quick fix, and it won't make the New York Post or your Twitter feed anytime soon. But it's true and lasting, and it's joy that you can and will experience when you know Jesus too. So why is Paul qualified to speak into this situation? What experience does he have with hardship?

The church he's writing to in Philippi started after Paul was forced to escape there because a mob was after him. See, he drove a demon out of a servant girl, and then her master got really angry, because his income that he got from exploiting her was coming to an end. So he rallied a mom of angry people. They went after Paul so his ministry couldn't do more damage. Then the church, with the big help of Lydia, was formed on the heels of Paul's escape. So that's who the letter is written to. And since then, Paul, the writer, he's had a tough go. After he faced another angry crowd and was handed over or maybe saved from the crowd in Jerusalem. He's been at the mercy of the Roman government.

While he was traveling back to Rome, he was shipwrecked, snake-bitten. He was lashed 40 times, minus one, five different times. He was denied proper nutrition and water and sleep. And now he's chained to Roman soldiers. You would expect his letter to have a certain tone about it, based on these experiences. What would your letter to your friend sound like if you were chained to a prison guard? I mean, I can get a little cranky when my coffee isn't hot,

or when I miss a snack, and I can get really cranky when I feel left out or unheard or overlooked. And it certainly comes out in my words and my tone. However, the prevailing theme of Philippians is joy. The word joy is mentioned four times, and the word rejoice is used eight times. Paul says to them, I thank my God in all remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the

day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, but you're all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. This sounds so different from the way we evaluate our circumstances today. If someone says, how are you, you run through a catalog in your head of how you're feeling, what plans you have, how your kids are doing. But Paul is normalizing joy that is based on God's grace alone.

We have an enemy that wants to subtly rob us of joy while normalizing anxiety and stress and disappointment. But Paul has three reasons to share authentic joy with the Philippian believers. And you, if you were in Christ, share those with the saints of Philippi. So here we go. Starting with number one. You can have joy because you have received grace. Paul greets the hearers of the letter as saints, which means that he have already received

what we refer to as saving grace, that grace which quickens our hearts towards putting our lives in Jesus and trusting that we are his children. But he prays for them to receive more grace, daily grace, and a fullness of grace. It's a double whammy of grace that gives you joy. First, you have been redeemed and brought into God's family. But God's grace also grows in you, reaching a fuller expression of belonging, a fuller expression of knowing how to live in a way that honors God, reaching a fuller expression of relying on the Holy Spirit to fuel your innermost thoughts and motives. Joy is a spiritual grace. Here's what that means to me.

If I act like a total jerk and say things I shouldn't say to my family, I can do something about it. I can ask God to fill me with His grace to respond differently next time. I can admit I was wrong and ask my children to forgive me. I can go to sleep and not stew on it because I trust that Jesus has covered my sin and his spirit will be with me next time I face that same battle. Knowing that gives me joy instead of anxiety. Remembering that. Number two.

You can have joy because God gives peace from within. Another double whammy here because the same. saint or the person in Christ is already at peace with God. Jesus has reconciled you to your father and you have the peace of knowing that your relationship with him is right. It's okay. Now Paul prays for them to have a growing peace from God as they become more assured of their right relationship. For you, that looks like inner tranquility that replaces striving and doubt. It feels like a quiet calm in the spirit, even when things aren't okay in your circumstances. It is a personal confidence that comes from knowing God is sovereign over all things,

or in other words, that there's nothing out of God's control. If you're a mom, for instance, you can ask God to give you peace in your spirit, even when your children are not okay. It doesn't mean you aren't a good mom if you aren't miserable with them. You can be the hands and feet and prayer warriors they need while also trusting God and receiving his peace. Okay, number three. You can have joy. because your real hope comes only from God. Now, this is a no doubt, no joke kind of hope. It's not a, I hope Mizzou has a winning season, or I hope I can play soccer again.

Those are both dependent on personal achievement and lots of other factors. But the kind of hope Paul was talking about when he said in verse 21 is real. He said, for me, to live is Christ, to die is gain. It's confidence that we are in Christ, an assurance that we are in Christ, an assurance that we are kept in Christ based only on divine accomplishment. Our confidence comes from what Colossians 1.13 and 14 says, He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin. Now, God may put an uphill climb or a hurdle or a rocky path in front of you. He may use it to convict you, humble you,

assure you. He may give you ways you wouldn't choose so you can find your true joy and your true peace and your true hope only in him, but you do not need to hide or run away or blame or defend because God chooses you and he will complete everything in you he has chosen to do. What about you? Do you have an inner gladness that rises above your circumstances? Are there challenges in your life that tend to squeeze out your inner joy? The Bible tells you. us how to remember our joy. If you like lists, grab a pencil. I'm going to give you six. One, read and study God's word and actually implement what it says. Number two, set your mind on things above and not on things of the world. Number three, worship God in Thanksgiving and praise.

Number four, pray about what's bothering you and give it to his care. Number five, live in relationship with other believers. And number six, serve one another. shipwrecked, chained, hungry Paul wrote, I thank my God in all remembrance of you. In the midst of his own problems, he's remembering God and remembering others. This practice is good medicine for our souls, and it lays the roots for increasing joy.

I pray that you will experience deep gladness, no matter where you are, knowing that all is well with the Lord and the Lord with you.