Being Full of Joy under All Circumstances

Zac Poonen | 9 December 2018

There is a lot of emphasis on joy in Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians. “Always offering prayer with joy in every prayer I pray for you” (Phil. 1:4). “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say unto you, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4).

Philippians was written when Paul was in prison (Phil. 1:13). It is challenging to see that Paul wrote so much about joy while he was in a prison. It’s one thing to preach about joy when all our circumstances are comfortable. It’s quite another thing to write about it when our circumstances are difficult. Paul’s words here teach us that it is possible for a Christian to have joy under all circumstances. That is the mind of Christ, the attitude of Christ.

Jesus spoke most about joy on the night He was crucified (in John 15 and 16). At the last supper, He told His disciples, “These things have I spoken unto you that your joy may be full.” “No man can take away your joy.” “I want to give you My joy.” He was going to be falsely accused and crucified publicly as if He were a criminal in a few hours from then. Yet He was going around sharing His joy with others and encouraging them.

This is the mind and attitude of Christ that Paul had. He was full of joy in prison. We don’t know whether Paul was only under house arrest as a prisoner at the time he wrote this letter (Acts 28:16, 30,31) or whether he was in an actual Roman prison. The Roman prisons of those days were dark dungeons full of rats, mosquitoes and creeping insects, where prisoners had to sleep on the floor and were given very little food. Whichever of these two locations Paul may have been in, the circumstances were definitely not pleasant. Yet in such circumstances, Paul was full of joy. He had been imprisoned for preaching the gospel. But he had no tears for his own sorrows. He didn’t want any sympathy from anyone either. He was full of joy.

What an example Paul is for Christians who live in comfort and yet complain at the smallest inconvenience. How often we see believers trying to get sympathy from others just because they are facing a little difficulty or going through a small trial. Paul doesn’t say a word here about his sufferings. He said, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all” (Phil.1:3,4). I can imagine him writing that after a whole night of being bitten by mosquitoes, trying to avoid the rats that were crawling around the dungeon floor, and the insects and things that were there; and he may not have had much warm clothing to cover him either. His joy did not come from his circumstances, but from the grace of God that he saw in the believers at Philippi.

Many years earlier he had been led by the Lord through a vision, to go to Philippi (Acts 16: 9-12). He had followed that vision and gone there and led people to the Lord and been imprisoned in Philippi too. The jailer who was converted there was probably an elder in the church in Philippi now and he would have told the people then, “I saw this man rejoicing there in prison.” Paul’s joy came out of a life that was spent usefully for the Lord. When you come to the end of your life, the thing that will bring you joy is the fact that in the days when God gave you health and strength you spent your life serving the Lord, gathering people for His kingdom and building His church. Think of it now, so that when you come to the end of your life like Paul you can thank God for what He did with your life.

सभी परिस्थितियों में आनंद से भरे रहना
- ज़ैक पूनन

प्रेरित पौलुस की फिलिप्पियों को लिखी गई पत्री में आनंद पर बहुत जोर दिया गया है। “और जब कभी तुम सब के लिये विनती करता हूँ, तो सदा आनन्द के साथ विनती करता हूँ" (फिलिप्पियों 1: 4) "प्रभु में सदा आनन्दित रहो; मैं फिर कहता हूं, आनन्दित रहो” (फिलिप्पियों 4: 4)।

जब पौलुस बन्दीगृह में था तब फिलिप्पियों को यह पत्री लिखी गई थी (फिलिप्पियों 1:13)। यह देखना चुनौती पूर्ण है कि पौलुस ने बन्दीगृह में रहते हुए आनंद के बारे में बहुत कुछ लिखा। आनंद के बारे में प्रचार करना एक बात है जब हमारी सभी परिस्थितियां आरामदायक होती हैं, परंतु इसके बारे में तब लिखना जब हमारी परिस्थितियां कठिन होती हैं, उस समय ये एकदम अलग बात है। यहां पौलुस के शब्द हमें सिखाते हैं कि एक मसीही के लिए सभी परिस्थितियों में आनंदित होना संभव है। यही मसीह का मन और मसीह का स्वभाव है।

यीशु ने आनंद के बारे में सबसे अधिक उस रात बात की जिस रात उसे क्रूस पर चढ़ाया गया था (यूहन्ना 15 और 16 में)। अंतिम भोज के समय उसने अपने शिष्यों से कहा, “मैं ने ये बातें तुम से इसलिये कही कि तुम्हारा आनन्द पूरा हो जाए”। “और तुम्हारा आनन्द कोई तुम से छीन न लेगा”। "मैं तुम्हें अपना आनंद देना चाहता हूं।" इसके कुछ घंटों बाद ही उस पर झूठा दोष लगने को था और एक अपराधी के रुप में उसे सार्वजनिक रूप से क्रूसित किया जाना था। इसके बावजूद वह दूसरों के साथ अपने आनंद को बांटता और उन्हें प्रोत्साहित करता जा रहा था।

यही वो मसीह का मन और स्वभाव है जो पौलुस में था। वह बन्दीगृह में भी आनंद से भरपूर था। हम नहीं जानते कि जब पौलुस ने यह पत्र लिखा, उस समय वह एक कैदी के रूप में केवल घर में नजरबंद था (प्रेरितों के काम 28:16, 30,31) या वास्तव में रोमी बन्दीगृह में था। उस समय के रोमी बन्दीगृह - चूहों, मच्छरों और रेंगने वाले कीड़ों से भरे हुए काल-कोठरी होते थे, जहां कैदियों को फर्श पर सोना पड़ता था और उन्हें बहुत कम भोजन दिया जाता था। पौलुस इन दोनों स्थानों में से जिस भी स्थान में रहा होगा, निश्चित रूप से परिस्थितियाँ सुखद नहीं थी। ऐसी परिस्थितियों में भी, पौलुस आनंद से भरपूर था। उसे सुसमाचार का प्रचार करने के लिए कैदी बनाया गया था। लेकिन अपने स्वयं के दुखों के लिए उसके पास कोई आँसू नहीं थे। न ही वह किसी से भी सहानुभूति चाहता था। वह आनंद से भरपूर था।

पौलुस उन मसीहियों के लिए एक उत्तम उदाहरण है जो आरामदायक जीवन जीते है और फिर भी छोटी सी असुविधा होने पर शिकायत करते हैं। हम अनेक बार विश्वासियों को दूसरों से सहानुभूति प्राप्त करने की कोशिश करते हुए देखते हैं क्योंकि उन्हें थोड़ी कठिनाई का सामना करना पड़ रहा है या एक छोटे से परीक्षण से गुजरना पड़ रहा है। पौलुस अपने दुखों के बारे में यहां एक शब्द भी नहीं कहता है। उसने कहा, "मैं जब जब तुम्हें स्मरण करता हूँ तब तब अपने परमेश्वर का धन्यवाद करता हूँ, और जब कभी तुम्हारे लिए विनती करता हूँ तो सदा आनंद के साथ विनती करता हूँ” (फिलिप्पियों 1: 3,4)। मैं कल्पना कर सकता हूँ कि पूरी रात मच्छरों द्वारा काटे जाने, अंधेरे फर्श पर घूमते चूहों और रेंगते कीड़ों और ऐसी कई चीजों से बचते हुए पौलुस ने यह लिखा होगा। शायद पूरी रात मच्छरों द्वारा काटे जाने के बाद उसने यह लिखा होगा और न ही तब शायद उसके पास ओढ़ने के लिए पर्याप्त गर्म कपड़े होंगे। उसका आनंद उसकी परिस्थितियों से नहीं, परंतु परमेश्वर के अनुग्रह से आता था, जो उसने फिलिप्पियों के विश्वासियों में देखा था।

कई वर्ष पहले एक दर्शन के माध्यम से परमेश्वर द्वारा फिलिप्पी जाने के लिए उसकी अगवाई की गई (प्रेरितों 16: 9-12)। उस दर्शन के अनुसार पौलुस फिलिप्पी गया और वहाँ के लोगों की परमेश्वर की ओर अगवाई की और वह फिलिप्पी में बन्दीगृह में भी डाला गया। बंदीगृह का दारोगा जिसने वहां उद्धार पाया, वह शायद अब फिलिप्पी की कलीसिया में एक प्राचीन होगा, और तब उसने लोगों को बताया होगा कि, "मैंने इस व्यक्ति को बन्दीगृह में आनंद मनाते हुए देखा।"। पौलुस का आनंद उस जीवन से आया जिसको उसने परमेश्वर के लिए उपयोगी रूप से बिताया। जब आप अपने जीवन के अंत में आयेंगे तो वह चीज जो आपको आनंद दिलाएगी वह यह तथ्य है कि उन दिनों में जब परमेश्वर ने आपको स्वास्थ्य और बल दिया, तब आपने अपना जीवन परमेश्वर की सेवा करने और उसके राज्य के लिए लोगों को इकट्ठा करने और उसकी कलीसिया का निर्माण करने में बिताया। इसके बारे में अभी सोचें, ताकि जब आप पौलुस के समान अपने जीवन के अंत में आए तो आप परमेश्वर का उसके द्वारा आपके जीवन के साथ किए गए कार्यों के लिए, धन्यवाद कर सके।

________________

*[[2Ki 22:19]] NIV*

Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD.

*[[1Sa 17:47]] NIV*

All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

Five Sins That Jesus Hated the Most

Zac Poonen | 2 December 2018

1. Hypocrisy: To be a hypocrite is to give others the impression that we are holier than we actually are. It is the same as being false, or telling a lie. Jesus pronounced a curse on hypocrites seven times in Matthew 23:13-29. Jesus told the Pharisees that their inner life was "full of self indulgence" (Matthew 23:25) - which meant that they lived only to please themselves. Yet they gave others the impression that because they knew the Scriptures well and fasted and prayed and tithed their income, they were holy. They appeared very pious externally. They prayed lengthy prayers in public, but they did not pray at length in private - just like many today. It is hypocrisy if we praise God only on Sunday mornings, but do not have a spirit of praise in our hearts at all times.

2. Spiritual Pride: Spiritual pride is the most common sin to be found among those who pursue after holiness. We all know the parable of the self-righteous Pharisee who despised others even in his prayer (Luke 18:9-14)! It is more than likely that 90% of all prayers offered in public by believers are primarily meant to impress others who are listening and not prayed to God at all. The Pharisee in the parable may not have been evil like other sinners in his external life. But Jesus hated the pride with which he thought of his spiritual activities and with which he despised others. It is spiritual pride that makes believers constantly judge other believers. Jesus taught that the greatest person in heaven would be the humblest (Matthew 18:4). The greatest virtue found in heaven is humility.

3. Impurity: Impurity enters into our hearts mainly through our eyes and our ears. This impurity then comes OUT from our hearts and expresses itself through the various members of our bodies - primarily through our tongues and our eyes. Anyone who seeks to be pure must therefore be especially careful about what he sees and what he hears. Jesus hated impurity so much that He told His disciples that they should be willing to pluck out their right eye and cut off their right hand rather than sin with those members (Matthew 5:27-29). When do doctors recommend the amputation of the right hand or the surgical removal of an eye? Only when things have become so bad that without the removal of these organs, the whole body will die. This is what we need to understand in relation to sin as well. Sin is so serious that it can imperil our very life.

4. Indifference to Human Need: Jesus was angry when the leaders of the synagogue did not want Him to heal a man, just because it was the Sabbath day. "He was deeply disturbed by their indifference to human need" (Mark 3:5 - TLB). We are commanded to do good to all men, especially to the children of God (Galatians 6:10). Jesus taught that those who did nothing to help their brothers who were in need of the basic necessities of life, would be cast out of His presence in the final day (Matthew 25:41-46). We may not have the gift of healing to heal sick believers. But we can all certainly visit those who are sick and encourage them. That's all the Lord asks of us. The rich man went to hell because he did not care for his brother Lazarus, who was a fellow-Jew and a fellow-son of Abraham. The priest and the Levite in the parable of the good Samaritan, were exposed as hypocrites by Jesus because they did not show compassion on their fellow-brother-Jew who was lying on the roadside wounded.

5. Unbelief: The Bible speaks of an unbelieving heart as an EVIL heart (Hebrews 3:12). Jesus rebuked His disciples seven times for unbelief. (See Matthew 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:17-20; Mark 16:14; Luke 24:25). It seems that He almost never rebuked His disciples for anything else!! Unbelief is an insult to God, because it implies that God does not care or provide for His children even as much as evil fathers on earth care and provide for their children. Victory over depression, bad moods and discouragement can come only as we have faith in a loving Father in heaven and in the wonderful promises He has given us in His Word. Twice we read of Jesus being amazed - once when he saw FAITH and once when He saw UNBELIEF!! (Matthew 8:10; Mark 6:6). Jesus was excited whenever He saw faith in people. And He was disappointed when He saw people unwilling to trust in a loving Father in heaven.

तेरे निकट हजार, और तेरी दाहिनी ओर दस हजार गिरेंगे; परन्तु वह तेरे पास न आएगा।

*भजन संहिता 91:7*

जब वह मुझ को पुकारे, तब मैं उसकी सुनूंगा; संकट में मैं उसके संग रहूंगा, मैं उसको बचा कर उसकी महिमा बढ़ाऊंगा।

*भजन संहिता 91:15*

और मैं अपने द्रोहियों पर दृष्टि कर के, और उन कुकर्मियों का हाल मेरे विरुद्ध उठे थे, सुनकर सन्तुष्ट हुआ हूं॥

*भजन संहिता 92:11*