Joyful Leadership
Christians are always supposed to be happy and have a smile plastered on their faces, right? Paul and Silas' imprisonment shuns this vapid outlook and shows us the deeper side of following Christ — that no matter what we face, no matter what is handed us or thrown at us, we are called to be “defiantly” joyful.
Joyful Humility
Chapter 2 is one of the most power-packed Christological passages we have in the Bible and it highlights the humility of Jesus. When we die to self, others live. Lack of humility and the abundance of selfishness is the reason so many relationships are broken today. What would happen in our homes, in our city, in this country and around the world if Christians would live as if they really believed “others were better than themselves”?
Joyful Privilege
So many Christians put confidence in the wrong areas of life. Specifically, in our country, we celebrate achievement. It is a privilege to be a child of God and we’ve done nothing to earn it or deserve it. We'll see what it means to “gain Christ” and to “know Christ” and the privileges we receive as a result of walking away from what the world is offering us.
Joyful Endurance
Knowing Christ should have the same all-consuming aspects of preparation for a race; it should affect everything about us and everything we do.
Joyful Contentment
Materialism and greed are rooted in a lack of contentment, as are most addictions. People pursue pleasure at all costs because they are not content. Couples cheat on one another because they are not content. Jesus is offering us a settled peace that “transcends all understanding” and when you experience it, there is an indescribable joy that flows from it.
