Joy

Have you ever seen a fellow Christian that looked as if they had been weaned off a pickle? Ugh! It makes me wonder about their faith. Do they really believe what they profess or are they just paying lip service?

I’m not saying that we should be hyper-excited, Ritalin-needy, goofy happy people. That’s not joy. My personal definition of joy is knowing Whose you are and being content with the state you’re in. It’s also wanting others to experience the love of God through you and your actions. It’s lots of fun to spread joy whether the recipients understand what you’re doing or not. I can say that I am truly happy with my current state. I am extremely grateful for all of God’s good and perfect gifts which He’s blessed my husband and me with. That doesn’t mean that I don’t seek to improve my station in life—just that I don’t feel deprived of any of life’s niceties now. Jesus told his followers in Luke 10:20, “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” We acquire joy through obedience to God’s commands and knowing that we’re walking in righteousness. John 15: 10-11 says, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Jesus goes on in the following verses to instruct us that greater love is loving others enough to sacrifice for them and that we are to love each other. Joy and love are best friends.

Our Sunday school class finished a study of Ecclesiastes yesterday. It seemed to drag on for some and I’m afraid others just didn’t “get it.” I enjoyed it and I totally got it. We can chase elusive joy and try to purchase it through worldly pleasures and pursuits, but it can’t be acquired in that fashion. The sum total of Ecclesiastes, which is in chapter 12, verses 13 and 14, can be nut-shelled in Matthew 16:26 which says, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” I would also add 1 Corinthians 15: 58 which states, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Joy doesn’t mean that we won’t experience life’s pitfalls and tragedies. None of us are immune from that. Our faith and level of joy determine how well we weather the situation. I can honestly tell you that my husband and I would not have weathered our last crisis very well if we hadn’t turned it over to God. We knew that this was just a rough shoal and that better days would eventually come. We prayed about it daily and told God we would await His answer. During that time we experienced God’s presence (Psa. 16:11) and He sustained our spirits (Psa. 51: 12). We found solace in being with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ by regularly attending the worship services of the church. It’s a great way to recharge your spiritual batteries (Psa. 89: 15-16; 100: 1-3). In short, we didn’t live every day in mortal fear and despair of not knowing what to do next. Remember, we had turned it over to God. If Plan A failed, we would try Plan B and so on. In all of this, we knew that God would send that breakthrough, but that we had to be faithful to try every door until we found the one that opened.

In conclusion, joy is not found in having every cool toy that your peers have or being able to hold their socio-economic level. Joy is only acquired through a faithful relationship with the Father.

Love Ya,
God Bless!