Over the past few days, the work joy has been on my mind considerably. Part of this is the fact that I will be preaching in chapel this coming Wednesday and am choosing to focus on joy and rejoicing, two matters which show up in the assigned Bible readings for the day. It also came up in the Bible study I attended this morning. It's something that I am privileged to see quite often in the faces of my wife and children, and I hope they see if frequently on my face as well.
Joy is one of those words that is a bit challenging to define well. It's not exactly happiness, since you can have joy even at times of sadness (think of the funeral where you know the deceased is with Lord and Savior, but is still missed). It's not a sense of well-being necessarily, since joy can be found even in pain and suffering. You notice that I'm saying that joy isn't a lot of things. Sometimes we have to define a word by emphasizing the things that it is not.
Joy is a sense that things are well and will turn out well. For us, that means that joy is something that is ultimately out of our hands. Our power and might will rarely be the thing that causes something to turn out well. Sure, we might have an appropriate word to say at that given moment that improves the situation, but we also don't control how people receive that word. We might be able to do something that brings a bit of happiness into the situation, but that may not change the situation appreciably.
That's where I suggest that our Christian idea of joy actually hits the mark quite well. Only God has shown the ability to work with all things, even to the point of utilizing sinful thoughts, words, and behaviors to further His purposes. Only God can bring joy to the situation, which is why Paul's list of the fruit of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians points us appropriately toward Him. The fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, and so on.
Joy lies in knowing and believing that God is the One working to bring all things to good. Though the immediate circumstances may not be joyful or even good for our well-being, we find joy that God can and has overcome these in Christ Jesus. His joy is in redeeming us, and because we are redeemed, we know we are safe in His hands. That is what brings joy, even in sadness, even in distress. That joy is something that truly is only a gift from God by His Spirit.
My prayer is that you see much joy this Advent season, but also in all seasons of your life. Jesus is your Redeemer and has redeemed you through His blood. Thanks be to God.
Joy is one of those words that is a bit challenging to define well. It's not exactly happiness, since you can have joy even at times of sadness (think of the funeral where you know the deceased is with Lord and Savior, but is still missed). It's not a sense of well-being necessarily, since joy can be found even in pain and suffering. You notice that I'm saying that joy isn't a lot of things. Sometimes we have to define a word by emphasizing the things that it is not.
Joy is a sense that things are well and will turn out well. For us, that means that joy is something that is ultimately out of our hands. Our power and might will rarely be the thing that causes something to turn out well. Sure, we might have an appropriate word to say at that given moment that improves the situation, but we also don't control how people receive that word. We might be able to do something that brings a bit of happiness into the situation, but that may not change the situation appreciably.
That's where I suggest that our Christian idea of joy actually hits the mark quite well. Only God has shown the ability to work with all things, even to the point of utilizing sinful thoughts, words, and behaviors to further His purposes. Only God can bring joy to the situation, which is why Paul's list of the fruit of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians points us appropriately toward Him. The fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, and so on.
Joy lies in knowing and believing that God is the One working to bring all things to good. Though the immediate circumstances may not be joyful or even good for our well-being, we find joy that God can and has overcome these in Christ Jesus. His joy is in redeeming us, and because we are redeemed, we know we are safe in His hands. That is what brings joy, even in sadness, even in distress. That joy is something that truly is only a gift from God by His Spirit.
My prayer is that you see much joy this Advent season, but also in all seasons of your life. Jesus is your Redeemer and has redeemed you through His blood. Thanks be to God.
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