DISCOVERING JOY

 

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.                              John 15:11

                We are living in unsettling times. There is so much uncertainty and turmoil. We seem to be living under a dark cloud that gets darker every day. It is not surprising if we sink into an attitude of doom and gloom. But that is not where God wants us to live. Instead, God wants us to experience His joy, even in the face of a negative environment.

                We can allow negative circumstances to dominate us and weigh us down. Or we can choose to discover joy in spite of our negative circumstances. The early church was constantly faced with hardship and persecution. Life was anything but easy for them. Yet, Jesus promised to give them joy in the midst of the hardships. Jesus was not suggesting that His followers should just put on a happy face and ignore the realities around them. Instead, He challenged them to see their world from a different perspective; not as victims of their circumstances, but as ultimate victors through what Christ has done on the cross.

                Jesus was upfront and honest about the journey that His followers would take. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Jesus wanted his disciples and us to know that through Him we can have victory over life’s circumstances.  

                If we are going to discover joy in our world, there are two important things we need to understand. First, joy is a byproduct of focused living. In John 15, Jesus makes it clear that our focus is not on discovering joy, but on following Him. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 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. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:9-12)

                If we look closely at what Jesus said, we can see the pathway toward joy. Joy comes when we embrace and are embraced by the love of God in Christ Jesus. Jesus said that, if we want to experience joy, then we need to remain in His love. How do we do that? By obeying what He has commanded us to do. Unfortunately, we have burdened Jesus’ command with all kinds of rules and regulations, just like the Pharisees did. Actually, Jesus made it very clear and very simple. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” Joy is found in sharing the love of God with one another in tangible ways.

                When Jesus was asked what was the most important commandment, He responded that we are to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. And we are love our neighbor as ourselves. Then He added this disclaimer; all the Law and Prophets are wrapped up in these two commands. (Matthew 22:37-40) Genuine joy is found in being in a right relationship with God and with others. If these things are not a reality in our lives, then joy is not really possible.

                There is second thing that we need to understand about joy; it is illusive. If we make finding joy our goal, we will never find it. If when we experience joy, we try to capture it and hold onto it, it will evaporate. The reason for this is that our experience of joy here on earth will always be incomplete. It continually points us on to something else; to the joy that we can experience only in heaven in the presence of God.

                In God’s great mercy and grace, He allows us to taste joy at different times in our life. This joy is real, but always fleeting. It spurs us on to keep moving forward instead of settling down where we are. Although we can taste joy through the things of this earth, the joy they offer is temporary. If the things of this world could completely fulfill our desire for joy, we would be tempted to sink our roots too deeply into the soil of this world. Instead, we need to experience the joys of this world as tourists just passing through. As Paul says in the book of Philippians, our citizenship is in heaven. Therefore, we need to live as aliens and strangers in this world, avoiding getting entangled in its enticements. (1 Peter2:11-12)

                Even in the midst of all that is going on in our world, we can still experience joy. We know that no matter what happens around us, it is not the end of our story. No, we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 12:2-3

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.