“Joy conditioning is going back and thinking of a person in your life, recalling the good things they did for you or with you. The more time you spend thinking about it, the stronger the memory gets; and the stronger the memory gets, the more it helps you overcome the struggles of your current situation and thus increases your joy.”- Randy Frazee
“I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”- Philippians 1:3-5 (NIV)
In “Principle #1: Recall Happy Memories of The Joy Challenge, Randy Frazee notes that Paul prayed with joy because of the good people God put in his life. However, Randy adds, most of us tend to pray out of fear. Hence, we pray for God to get us out of our mess.
Furthermore, Paul proactively called the Philippians to mind during set prayer times in the day. Most significantly, Randy states, Paul expressed his deep love and appreciation with the most intense language he could find. Thus, Paul engaged in joy conditioning.
For example, in verse 8 of Chapter 1, Paul paired his affection with the words God can testify. The Revised Standard Version translates the phrase as For God is my witness.
Using these words compares with taking an oath in a court of law. Above all, the Greek word Paul used for affection connects to the English word viscera. In New Testament times, this word referred to the heart, liver, and lungs. Body parts regarded as the seat of our deepest felt emotions.
In conclusion, Randy adds:
“Paul drove home his point that his joy was not dependent on his circumstances, and yet we find that his joy was affected by his positive relationship with the Philippians believers. . . .
Someone once defined joy as ‘what I feel when I see the sparkle in someone’s eye that conveys I’m happy to be with you.’ The Philippians put a sparkle in Paul’s eye, and it gave a jolt to his joy. Through his writings he was now doing the same for them.”
Today’s question: Who are the Philippians in your life? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Without adding wax – pure love”
