JOY

 
July 26, 2020                                               JOY
John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
Psalm 16:11, 32:11,  “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.”                  
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Colossians 1:11 “May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.
We may see them as the same, but happiness and joy are not the same. Happiness tends to evolve around circumstances while joy comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit and a true knowledge of God. Happiness may come and go, but joy abides even in the difficult times. We may experience great pain and difficulties, but even so, we can deep down know the joy of the Lord because we know that He works all things for good for those who know Him, and He gives us assurance and strength in the darkest hours. One reason that may hinder us from experiencing joy on a continual basis has to do with our basic view of our relationship with God. Even though it may be sub-conscience, I think that many have an ongoing thought process of what they should do to earn His approval and acceptance. Instead of enjoying the relationship with their Father, they perceive that they must ‘work’ on the relationship and ‘do better’ at being a Christian-they feel that they should read the bible more, pray more, have longer quite times, be more dedicated to the church program, and etc. What God did in bringing salvation to us and restoring us to Himself meant the death of His Son on the cross-the most meaningful event in all of eternity. Yet, it is beautifully simple; He HAS restored us and HAS joined us to Himself and He LIVES IN US and we live in Him-now!  God has already done what was necessary for us to be restored and made whole-there is no need for more striving, sacrificing, and trying. Now, we can enjoy our relationship with our Father. Don’t misunderstand, we are called to grow in the faith, and to mature-there is a process, and reading and studying His word is a part of that process; enjoying our relationship with Him does not mean we become spiritually lazy. The key is that as we enjoy relating to our Father, it becomes natural for us to be about the things that please Him, and for His nature to be expressed through us. I think we would do well to let go of the things we cannot control, the things too big for us, and to stop trying and simply enjoy what He has done-to enjoy our wholeness, our completeness, and our position as a child of God. Because our culture puts a premium on doing the things that bring results, on putting forth our best effort to get what we want, it may be difficult to accept this whole idea that God has already done it, and we are to simply enjoy what we already have! There are many ‘glad text’ in the Bible dealing with joy-check them out. May we have the wisdom to know and the ears to hear what God is saying to us about experiencing His joy-no matter the circumstances.
Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.”
Blessings, Buddy