We live in a world of despair, depression, unfulfillment, and dissatisfaction. Man defines happiness as an attitude of satisfaction and delight based upon present circumstances. He relates happiness to happenstance. He regards it as something that can't be planned or programmed. Biblical joy, on the other hand, consists of the deep and abiding confidence that all is well, regardless of the circumstance and difficulty. It is the opposite of worldly happiness. Real joy is always related to God and belongs only to those who are in Christ. It is the permanent possession of every believer. The Bible says that it is the joy of the Lord that is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). A good analogy of joy is this: it's the flag that flies on the castle of the heart when the King is in residence. Only Christians can know this kind of true and lasting joy. Christian joy is a gift from God to those who believe the gospel. This Sunday I start our new series on Walking in the Joy of the Lord from the book of Philippians.