Chunks: Paul's Letter to the Philippians

To many of us, the word “joy” probably means something like extreme happiness and is incompatible with sadness. But that’s not what Paul means by the word when he tells the Philippians to rejoice. Nor does he mean that Christians are supposed to act happy no matter what they’re feeling. He wants the Philippians to cultivate joy by reminding themselves and each other that God is near, even in the face of suffering.