Limitless

Did you know God is glorified by our joy in Him? I know I have failed many times to choose joy, let alone it being a lifestyle, the way God intends us to live: “Rejoice always… for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18b NIV

I was recently drawn to read Philippians 3 again, you know, the famous chapter where Paul talks about his credentials – an impressive pedigree and a phenomenal Law follower, even to the point of persecuting the church. After a great list of “special achievements”, he goes on to say he now considers it all trash along with the things he used to take credit for; because he knows the real prize is Christ! What an encouraging chapter this is for every believer, full of wisdom and power – forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, pressing on to the goal; to know Him. Paul’s resumé is now in the garbage; he is now an example to every believer, reminding us that our citizenship is in heaven. 

Incredible chapter! But this time I saw something I had never noticed before, how he started:
“My beloved ones, don’t ever limit your joy or fail to rejoice in the wonderful experience of knowing our Lord Jesus!” – Philippians 3:1 TPT

Joy is such a bizarre concept in this world, often confused with the picture of living happy all the time; its power is really underrated because of our lack of understanding.
Joy comes from the Holy Spirit and we experience it when abiding in His presence. That is, God communicates to our hearts, and He takes delight and great pleasure when we enjoy the manifestations of His presence. In simple words, joy takes place when we acknowledge and delight in His presence! 
The more I acknowledge His presence (He is with me, He is for me, He is within me), the more I enjoy it and get to experience the joy of knowing Him. 

The opposite is true, think of someone whose company you don’t enjoy and you will find yourself intentionally not giving attention to this person. That doesn’t mean we are not good at giving compliments or putting on a big smile in front of these people – we do it all the time!
Hypocrisy is to praise someone when we actually don’t delight in their company. We can easily become hypocrites with God if we are quick to praise Him but fail to acknowledge Him in our lives. ‘This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me’ – Matthew 15:8  

Joy in its purest essence is worship, and it’s essential to the life of the believer. This is authentic praise.
It should be our greatest honor to take joy in Christ even in the toughest times; for this is something we will do naturally in heaven. But in this side of eternity, choosing limitless joy is truly what makes us free. 
I dare to say, there is no coincidence in joy being the beginning of this chapter in the life of Paul. This discovery changed his life and now advises us to follow. 

If we can become intentional in acknowledging people, being good listeners and actually caring, imagine what it will do for our lives to actually honor Christ with our hearts and acknowledge Him? There’s that famous phrase: “Joy unspeakable.”