Uncertainty and difficulty are everywhere all the time. In this election season, there are more self-proclaimed angry people that are looking for hope and joy. It is very easy for all of us to get caught up in looking for a circumstantial change in hopes that it will bring relief and joy in our lives. If my candidate gets elected, my sports team wins, a relationship shifts, my schedule slows down, or when I see financial increase in my life. We all have a tendency of putting our hope in a circumstantial shift that will bring true lasting joy.
What does true joy look like? Is joy an emotion that I am to seek out? In the midst of the difficulty of this life, how am I to live “always joyful” (1 Thess. 5:16)? The Lord desires that all His children would live in joy but how do we get there. Let me share a few thoughts I have been meditating on in this season.
- Joy is more about perspective than circumstances. November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. It is our annual reminder of the heart condition every Christian can live in the other 364 days of the year. It is the power of the blood of the Lamb that can only elicit a thankful heart when meditated upon. Consider, by the power of Jesus’ blood, we have:
- Peace that has been made between man and God (Col. 1:20).
- Forgiveness of sins and eternal life for all who put their faith in the Lord Jesus (Col. 1:14).
- Victory over Satan (Rev. 12:11).
- Continual cleansing from all sin (1 John 1:7).
- Freedom from the tyranny of an evil conscience to serve the living God (Heb. 9:14).
- Liberty to enter the Holy of Holies of God’s presence and live there all day (Heb. 10:19).
- Always Live In View of Eternity. This is an acrostic that I remember learning: ALIVE. The great revivalist, Jonathan Edwards, once wrote, “Lord, stamp eternity on my eyeballs.” He understood that when we live in light of eternity, we live differently. We live with a different world view knowing that this life is but a mist (James 4:14). When we live in view of eternity, we are thankful for each day which leads to joy.
- Make your theology your reality. If we begin to make our theology our reality, we will start to naturally manifest the fruit of the spirit instead of having to force it with self-will, good intentions, and human effort. Being leads to doing. Essence begets action. Jon 15:5 tells us if we attach to the vine and remain in God’s Word, the fruit will flow naturally out of us. Our “being” in the vine will result in a natural outflow of what we are “doing” with our time, talent, treasure, temples, and relationships. This is a daily renewal of our relationship with Christ and a daily obedience stewarding the gifts and relationships God has given us. And why did Jesus hammer home this point over and over again in verses 6-10? He tells us in verse 11: So that our joy will be complete.
I encourage you to build margin into your life this holiday season. Build time daily to grow in spirit and truth. It takes time every day. As you lean into your spiritual development you will find true joy.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NLT)
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.