HABIT #1: Choose to be joyful.

READ IT

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!. . . . and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:4,9)

When you think of ways to get closer to Jesus, you probably think of typical ways like: read your Bible, pray more, serve others, sin less, give more. (By the way, those are all great ways and habits you should develop).

But did you know that choosing to be joyful can bring you closer to Jesus (one of the main goals of the Philippians 4 Challenge)? Earlier in the Philippians the Bible tells us “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:5). Jesus’ life was characterized by joy (Luke 10:21, Hebrews 12:2). Remember joy is an attitude, a mindset, something we can control. Joy is not a feeling or emotion, something we cannot control. When we choose joy over bitterness, joy over grief, joy over anger, we’re leaning into the divine nature inside of us. We’re choosing to give space for the God of all joy to fill us with more of his presence, which in turn leads to more joy.

Joy begets joy. Joy brings you closer to the ultimate author of joy. Choose to be joyful and grow closer to God.

WRITE IT

Share in the comments below and answer this question, “How will choosing to be joyful today impact the way you interact with others today?”

PRAY IT

Jesus, I choose joy today. I choose to reject the temptation of bitterness, anger and jealousy. I choose to be joyful and develop the mindset you had. Give me strength to choose joy today. Amen.

LIVE IT

Like you’ve done previously, work on catching yourself before you go negative and indulge emotions that can kill your joy. In that moment of decision, verbally say to yourself “choose to be joyful” and choose joy. Make this habit second nature in your life.

Use #phil4challenge to spread the word about the Philippians 4 Challenge!