What is your favorite book of the Bible? For me, I probably would have to say either Ecclesiastes or Philippians. Specifically regarding Philippians, I love the message of this letter since one of the main overarching themes is joy.

At the very core of Paul's teaching in this book, Jesus is revealed as the humble servant who meets our every need and therefore, this is our source of joy! 

Often we can make the mistake of conflating the terms joy and happiness into meaning the same thing but in reality, there is a big difference between the two. Happiness is about a certain set of circumstances whereas joy is about a certain set of attitudes. 

There's nothing wrong with happiness. I'm by no means saying that happiness is bad, just that it's limited and based on the situation entirely. Joy is not. 

Philippians 4:4-5 says:

"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon" - Philippians 4:4-5

Something that might interest you about this book was that even though one of the main themes is joy, this book was written when Paul was imprisoned under house arrest. It's such a beautiful reminder that while circumstances seemed dire, his joy remained unharmed because it was rooted in Christ. 

If we put our joy in Christ alone, it doesn’t matter what our circumstances are, we will always have joy because Christ is unshakable. At the end of the day, we come to realize that the world didn't give us our joy so therefore it can't take it away. Your circumstance does not determine your joy.