Joy of the Lord

What brings you joy my friend? For real, what are the things in this life that give you that deep sense of gladness? I will tell you some of mine: exercise, being liked, recognition, making people laugh, hot piping tea, food, my kids, dancing, swimming, etc.

Now hear this: whatever means by which we are deriving our joy, if it can be taken away from us then it is not really joy at all. It's the whole happiness versus joy debate; happiness is temporary, joy is everlasting. What I am about to say next is probably going to sound harsh. If my kids die, then does my joy die too? If I were to be injured and become a quadriplegic, would not being able to be physically active kill my joy? Again, if I were stripped of my ability to eat good food or drink, would my joy vanish? If I were taken captive to an environment where no one knew me or liked me or thought I was funny, would my joy again disappear? I think you get the point.

We need to ponder this question: Is my JOY ultimately coming from my relationship with Jesus, or am I basing my joy upon other things? I do believe that everything in our lives can have deep, lasting, and worthwhile meaning when it is rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a book in the Old Testament called Ecclesiastes. Basically, the book talks about how everything in this world is meaningless and eventually wastes away. Yet to know God and his word has eternal reward and benefit. So here I go again – are we basing our ultimate satisfaction on things that can let us down or are we placing our hope and trust in the only one who has never failed?

So if God is to be our joy, then what does this joy feel like and what does it look like? Can it be explained? I think it can be, and I would best describe it as a consistent knowledge or assurance of our salvation. What I mean is that we KNOW we have been saved from our sins and are guaranteed an eternal home in the presence of God because of the Grace we have received. Does that sound blah? I'll be honest, it does to me a little bit too. Here's why: maybe everyone who knows me would tend to describe me as a fairly happy, even joyful person. I often am smiling and I can almost always find something positive about even the worst things. So should I exchange my good attitude for some dry humor or a more cynical demeanor? No. I thank God that He has given me a happy spirit. And I trust that although I enjoy many areas of my life now, nothing apart from Him is the ultimate source of my hope and joy.

Let's touch one last time on assurance (or the assurance of our salvation). When we are convinced that our present state and future position is a sealed deal, then everything else we may strive for becomes far less important. For instance: when I wake up in the morning and all the coffee in the world is gone and my car has a flat tire and my Facebook account is not allowing me to log in and things are simply not going my way, I can still look to God and ask Him to remind me where my contentment is to be found.

Here's a quote from the footnotes in my study Bible on Galatians 5:22:

“Joy. A happiness based on unchanging divine promises and eternal spiritual realities. It is the sense of well being experienced by one who knows all is well between himself and the Lord. Joy is not the result of favorable circumstances, and even occurs when those circumstances are the most painful and severe. Joy is a gift from God, and as such, believers are not to manufacture it but to delight in the blessing they already possess.”

I've also picked out a few Bible verses to continue this study on The Joy of the Lord. I'm hoping you will take the time to read them and think about how they relate to this topic.

Romans 15:13 "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."

John 15:4-5 "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

1 John 5:11-13 "And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life."

One last thing I will leave you with is the lyrics to a song by Hillsong called “Cornerstone”. One day last week as I was listening to my ipod, this song came on and all of a sudden my thoughts for this blog post were all pulled together. Even though the song never actually says the word joy, I truly think that what it talks about is the basis for our joy. Go ahead and give it a listen by clicking the link below. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvLxZEU02uI

"Cornerstone" My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame But wholly trust in Jesus' name Christ alone; cornerstone Weak made strong; in the Savior's love Through the storm, He is Lord Lord of all When Darkness seems to hide His face I rest on His unchanging grace In every high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the veil My anchor holds within the veil When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found; Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless stand before the throne.