THURSDAY January 11th
2 Timothy 1:3-7
‘I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.’
There is absolutely no doubt that Paul had a special relationship with Timothy, in his first letter to him, he had called him his ‘true child in the faith’ (1:2) and in the second letter ‘my beloved child’(1:2). Paul longed to see Timothy, he knew that when he did see him, his heart would be filled with joy. Now, Paul felt the same toward the Philippian believers because he expressed such in Philippians by telling them that he prayed for them with joy and I have no doubt that he felt the same joy to all that he had been involved with in the various churches.
Joy is one of those words that should be applicable to the Christian faith. When the news was given via the angels to the shepherds that the Saviour had been born it was accompanied with the words ‘I bring you good news of great joy’.
Paul had come to know this joy, which he not only knew in his life, but which he also expressed from his heart toward his fellow believers.
We too should know this joy that comes from the good news of the gospel in our own lives, we of all people should be joyful, when we contemplate what God has done for us through Christ Jesus, but joy should also be expressed from our lives to our fellow brothers and sisters, there should be joy as we gather together as the family of God.
If we lack joy, then we need to examine our walk with the Lord Jesus, because even when we go through times of trouble and difficulty, it is this joy that enables us to be able to carry on.
Joy is as Paul reminds us in Galatians 5 one of the expressions of the fruit of the Spirit, we have hearts that love but also express joy, and we are also reminded that joy is linked to having spiritual strength, ‘The joy of the LORD is your strength’ Nehemiah 8:10. Scripture even tells us that there is joy in suffering for the sake of the gospel! ‘Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds . . .’ James 1:2.
I am again reminded of a hymn, this one by J. G. Crabbe, number 493 in Making Melody or 509 in the Redemption Hymnal
He gives me joy in place of sorrow,
He gives me love that casts out fear,
He gives me sunshine for my shadows,
And ‘beauty for ashes’, here.
Let us make sure that each one of us really knows what it is to have joy, joy, joy, joy, where? Down in the depths of our hearts.