For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit. Because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Romans 14:17-18
Paul tells us very plainly that the kingdom of God is a matter of not only righteousness and peace, but also JOY. Furthermore, we learn from verse 18 that without joy, our lives are really not very pleasing to God. The fact is, only Christians have a reason to be joyful, but it is also a fact that every Christian should be joyful. True Christian joy is both a privilege and a duty. Jesus said, “I have come that they (His sheep) may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) He has come that our lives might be full of joy. Twice in his talk to the disciples on the evening of his betrayal, Jesus referred to the joy that he desired for them to have. He has done it all to make it possible for us to live joyful lives.
But we are not to sit around waiting for our circumstances to make us joyful. We are COMMANDED to be joyful always (1 Thessalonians 5:16). We are to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4). Paul is quite emphatic about this: “I will say it again: Rejoice!” Like the other character traits in the bible, joy is not an option available only to those whose temperament is conducive to it. God intends that every one of his children exhibit the fruit of joy.
Just being joyful is not enough, however; we should continually be growing in joy. It is a contradiction for a Christian who professes to be a child of the one and only God who created the universe, and who governs it for his glory and the good of His people, to wear a gloomy countenance. As John W. Sanderson says, “It is practical atheism, for it ignores God and His attributes.” Yet if we are honest, most of us must admit that life is so often anything but joyful. It often seems that at best life is dull, and at worst it is filled with anxiety, conflict, tension. What is it that blocks joy in our lives?
Stumbling Blocks
One of the most common hindrances to joy is SIN IN OUR LIVES, or sinful attitudes in our hearts. Christian joy is essentially the enjoyment of God, the fruit of communion with Him. Sin obviously breaks that communion and the enjoyment of His presence. When David was confessing His sin of adultery with Bathsheba, he prayed, “ Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12)
Psalm 32:3-4 vividly describes David’s lack of joy as he agonized over his sin. When we are not experiencing joy, we should examine our hearts and lives. Are we doing or have we done something that is displeasing to God that we need to confess and repent of? Or, as is often the case, are we holding on to some sinful attitude such as envy or resentment, or a critical and unforgiving spirit? The fruit of joy cannot exist when such attitudes have control of our hearts. All sin, be it in attitude or action, must be dealt with if we are to display the virtue of joy in our lives.
Another stumbling block to joy is misplaced confidence. Paul told the Philippian Christians to “rejoice in the Lord” (Philippians 3:1). He then made it clear that the opposite of rejoicing in Lord is to put confidence in the flesh — in our good works or religious structure. For the disciples of Paul’s day it was Jewish legalism. For us today it might be our personal disciplines such as a regular quiet time, a consistent Scripture memory program, or faithfulness in sharing our faith. Whatever it is, if the source of our confidence is anything other than Jesus Christ and His grace, it is a false and often interrupted joy. As Sanderson says, “even success in the Lord’s work is a broken reed if we lean on it for security.” If we are to have consistent joy, our attitude must be expressed in the words of the old hymn:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
In Luke’s account of Jesus’ sending out the seventy-two to preach, he says that they returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” Jesus responded, “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:17-20) It appears that Jesus was not discouraging joy in the ministry, but cautioning against the ground of one’s joy being in the success of a ministry. Success in ministry comes and goes, but our names are written in heaven forever. The circumstances of this life rise and fall, but the assurance of being with Christ one day never changes. It is in this fact that our joy must be grounded.
God’s Discipline
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.”(Hebrews 12:11) Discipline is never a joyful experience; it is not meant to be, or else it would not accomplish its intended results. If we lose sight of its intended results, or feel we don’t deserve it, discipline can lead to self-pity. A helpful insight into the relationship between discipline and joy says:
If we only knew how bad we are, we would welcome discipline because this is God’s way of getting rid of sin and its habits.
But discipline is resented because we cannot believe that we have done anything worthy of it.
The secret of maintaining some semblance of joy in the midst of discipline is to remember that “the Lord disciplines those he loves”, and that “later on, however, it [discipline] produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:6, 11)
Lets make 2009 the most joyful year yet!
Life is short, then we get to go to Heaven!
Love, your brother in Christ,
Chris Chloupek
