Joy is…

Piper’s devotional for today is about the failure of ‘stuff’ to make us happy. He gives stats showing the poor vs. the rich and how being rich does not do it. This is a common idea: money does not buy happiness.

How about defining the terms? Christians tend to define happiness differently than joy. Joy lasts and is not about circumstances. Happy is about circumstances. While I can be happy with what happens, difficult circumstances cannot rob me of joy.

Piper gets most of his biblical quotes from Proverbs which are general truths or common principles, not false, yet definitive in many cases. For instance, one says: “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.” (Proverbs 15:17) This does not mean that all dinners of herbs are better than a feast. Instead, this describes the contrast between love and hate using two kinds of meals.

That said, my experiences show a few different ‘proverbs’ about having stuff and being happy can also be true. For example, I know some very wealthy people who are miserable, but others with scads of money who know Jesus Christ and are joyful all the time. Their joy isn’t in money.

I also know poor people who struggle to make ends meet. Some of them are worried all the time and complain often about their lot in life, but others are happy with a contagious joy, no matter how little they have. These are the people who also know Jesus. Their joy is not about stuff.

My conclusion: joy is a fruit of being filled with the Holy Spirit and trusting God, no matter what my bank balance says. Joy is the delight of knowing the Lord and knowing He is in charge. He “owns the cattle on a thousand hills” and gives me all that I need, including contentment. Being happy with what I have is a by-product of joy. But if I let happiness depend on what I have rather than on the source of it, the Holy Spirit, then I will be anxious, wanting more, etc.

These verses contrast having stuff with not having stuff, and use that to illustrate the contrast between living my life as God directs (through His Spirit) and living my life according to my selfish desires. It isn’t about stuff, but about what I want vs. what God wants. It is not sinful to be rich unless I make riches my resource, my god. Here is the list from Proverbs:

Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. (Proverbs 16:8)
It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. (Proverbs 16:19)
Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife. (Proverbs 17:1)
Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways. (Proverbs 28:6)
Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor. (Proverbs 14:21)
Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. (Proverbs 16:20)

These verse are illustrations. They could be written another way that is also true.

Great riches can be a blessing to many in the hands of someone who is righteous.
Those who have much are blessed to share it with those who are needy rather than with others who also have much.
A banquet filled with joyful noise is better than a silent meal where those present will not talk to each other.
A rich person who is known for honest integrity is better than a poor person who lies and steals to supply his meager needs.
Sadness comes from neglecting or hating the needy to wallow in all that I have.
All negative emotions and misery are mine when I am totally selfish instead of reading and heeding the will of God and trusting Him. 

 I could add what others say, like George MacDonald: “Happily for our blessedness, the joy of possession soon palls.” The sad part is thinking that having bigger, better, more, or the latest stuff will renew or restore that joy, but even if it does, that happiness  does not last. To suppose it will just keeps me in a self-centered cycle.  I have also noticed that some people have all they need and more, but still whine and complain as if they are terribly hard done by.

PRAY: Lord, You brought me into Your kingdom when I was very poor and let me see how You not only supplied all my needs but gave me that joyful contentment that outlasts and out-weighs any other source of delight. I’ve been poor and I’m also rich, not in mere money (who can take it with them to eternity), but in knowing that no matter what You give or withhold, joy never depends on the gifts but the Giver. Thank You.

Poverty is a good thing . . .

 

Everyone wants to be happy, well off, well spoken of, enjoying life and favorable circumstances. The lie is that we can do this by our own efforts. However, like a shadow, this state of being moves every time with try to step into it. For many, the only cure is lowering the standard and doing our best to be content with what we have. However, that empty place is still there.

Jesus’ words are well-known but not universally accepted. He describes that a full and blissful life of joy and being blessed is not what the average person thinks it is.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3–10)

The first half of each of these statements is contrary to what we think it should be. Poverty of spirit? That seems a sorry lot in life. No one wants to feel as if they have nothing and are nothing, but read the next half of the sentence — “theirs is the kingdom of heaven” sounds much better. Isn’t that what the empty place in the human heart craves? Don’t we want to live forever in that place where there is no sin and sorrow? We just don’t want what Jesus says is the way to get there.

Happy people are characterized as ‘those who enjoy other people but aren’t self-sacrificing, who refuse to participate in negative feelings or emotions, and who have a sense of accomplishment based on their own self-sufficiency.’ It is a ‘you can do it’ philosophy, yet Jesus tells us we cannot do it. That blessedness we seek comes only by giving up self-effort and trusting Jesus to do it for us.

In these verses, the process of becoming a blessed person begins with giving up, by realizing and accepting that our capacity is zero. We are spiritual beggars without resources in ourselves and meekly accept that as the only route to fill that empty place — giving up, not by ‘work harder’ or trying more diligently. I know that sounds more like misery than happiness, but Jesus, the Word of God who spoke all things into existence (John 1:1ff) knows. He bids us “come, taste and see” that He is good and that He knows what He is saying is true.

There is a logic to it. MacArthur puts it like this: True happiness begins with being “poor in spirit” — which is a right attitude toward sin and self -effort, which leads to mourning over it and a meekness that leads to hungering and thirsting for righteousness. That results in mercy, purity of heart, and a peaceable spirit. In those attitudes is a true blessedness that cannot be lost.

Others will try. Those determined to prove Jesus wrong will insult, persecute and unjustly accuse those who believe that Jesus is telling the truth. We will be an ‘an irritating rebuke’ to them yet even in that we can “rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.”

Jesus, I know that some are drawn to Your truth while others are repelled by it. I cannot ‘fix’ that. All that I can do is let my sense of poverty keep drawing me to You and finding each time how faithful You are. You bless us with all that we need. I’ve also learned that the word “bless” can be translated as “well-spoken of” and You do that too. The weaker I feel, the more Your strength can be seen in me. That also is a blessing. What a wonder You are, full of grace and truth — and willing to impart to me that grace so I can believe Your truth and live with these attitudes that bring so much joy to my heart. May I be Your light in the lives of others, not afraid of being poor in spirit, but embracing it and living in immense joy.

MORE: 1 Peter 2:19–23. How did Jesus respond to those who reacted negatively to Him? What was the result of His example of not sinning but instead entrusting Himself to the righteous Judge? How can I be more like Jesus?