Joy

    Anyone who chooses to pursue Christ and His righteousness needs to be keenly aware of what it takes; namely being a strict and staunch Bible-ist. We do indeed HAVE to study to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 2:15) because it's too easy to misunderstand things. It doesn’t even require trickery from the devil who's malicious attempts mislead us from the true path. We can slide off the path accidentally as innocently and easy as you please. Why? Because there seems to be an easy sensibleness that lends itself to human effort.

In our human effort, we can try to do MANY different things that look good and benevolent on the surface but are as far from truth and righteousness as any malicious lie.

But I digress, this post IS about Joy. When The Bible talks about us experiencing joy as a fruit of The Spirit, it’s not something that comes naturally with ease. It also doesn’t come from a whole bunch of effort either. It comes from The Spirit but having the Spirit doesn’t automatically make everything you enjoy, evidence of The Spirit.

Here’s an example. Two people looking at a rainbow after a pretty intense storm shower. Both people see that the sun breaking through the puffy scattered clouds, against a magnificent blue sky, accentuated by a brilliant rainbow is beautiful. Both have a happy feeling from the experience.
Does the fact that one of these two is a Christian make the experience more joyful for them? Or does not having The Spirit lessen the experience for the non-Christian? The fact of the matter that although both are probably pretty happy to see such a sight, the joy available to the Christian CAN make all of his experiences entirely different.

The Bible uses 'happy', 'joy', and 'blessed' almost interchangeably in certain portions of Scripture. However, just because we can all experience a myriad of things that bring us joy, none can substitute for TRUE JOY, which comes from Christ, by being in Christ through faith.

Here's The Word:

Psalm 32:11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

This last verse in John sounds quite similar to the verse about Jesus' "peace" that He gives to us. Fact of the matter is, God values the joy of His children but not ALL people are His (1 John 3:10) even though we can all immensely enjoy many different things.

For the Christian, indwelt by The Spirit. Everything is different because even after salvation and justification, we're being transformed into the very image of Christ and we need to realize that we are part of an eternal revelation; that we are no longer enemies of God. That we have who were once FAR AWAY, have been brought near (Eph 2:13). All of those Biblical truths that we glean from His Word is what continually proves and fills our joy. And in everything we take joy in, we can look at the very thing that performs and allows such joy, the cross of Christ!


In Him,
Cros