Joy from Jesus

 

A man in our church is always joyful. BT has several medical issues that are painful, but he is always smiling and saying ‘just fine’ with contagious joy. He shares that his joy isn’t about physical comfort.

The Bible is clear; the source of joy is the Holy Spirit, a joy beyond the usual feel-good emotion that comes with successes or good health or any other external source. It is a deep sense of well-being that God is in control. It is like the “peace of God which surpasses all understanding” in Philippians 4:7. It even comes as a surprise and can be ours when life is filled with problems. It delivers a sense of God, of stability, and is sometimes so strong that it can make us feel giddy.

The Bible tells us to be filled with the Spirit (see Ephesians 5:18) because He wants us to share in His joy and only the Holy Spirit can give it to us:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23)

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. (1 Peter 1:8)

The Spirit gives this joy and peace to the point that if we are not filled, we do not experience or share in this ‘fruit’ and instead feel something else. The OT speaks of that inner turmoil this way: “But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore, he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.” (Isaiah 63:10)

In the NT, God says we must not “grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30) nor “quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). From personal experience, I know that when He is grieved, so am I, and when He is quenched, the fruit He produces is gone, particularly the joy, but also the other manifestations of His fullness. This was the experience of David when he sinned with Bathsheba and later prayed that God would not put him out of His presence or take the Holy Spirit from him, but would “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:12)

Joy’s sustaining power is described in Acts 13 when the disciples were persecuted and driven out of Antioch. “But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 13:51–52)

Later Paul was put in prison and wrote to those concerned about him: “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me.” (Philippians 2:17–18) Like our friend BT, he understood that God’s joy is not about circumstances.

But joy is about obedience, as the ‘do not grieve’ and ‘do not quench’ verses suggest. What makes the Spirit grieve or stifle His activity? Disobedience, selfishness, sin — all those attitudes and actions that are opposed to His fruit of love, joy, peace, etc. I know that if my joy is gone, I’ve something to confess, a sin that has blocked the Spirit from producing the fruit of joy in me. Instead, I feel His grief and sorrow.

Much of Christendom and all of those outside of Christ depend on externals for joy, not realizing that the joy of the Lord is not the same as the glee of success. This joy is a deep sense that God is in control, no matter what is happening. That is why James could write this outrageous statement:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2–3)

All joy in trials? Our friend BT knows it. It can happen, not because of any other reason than learning to drop self-effort and disobedience and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Lord, sometimes I don’t even notice Your joy has left. I can get so wrapped up in whatever is going on that I miss realizing that I’m no longer trusting You or that I have an ungodly attitude, or have said, done, or even thought things contrary to Your will. May Your Spirit strengthen my discernment of personal sin, encourage me to keep short accounts with You, and increase my godliness. This isn’t just about joy, but about loving others and being at peace — with all those attitudes and behavior that glorifies You.

READ: Philippians noting what it says about joy. Also consider what I rely on for joy and what robs me of it the most. Get on my knees!

 

 

He is the Head . . .

Our church is large making it impossible to have intimate fellowship with everyone, never mind knowing all their names. For that reason, small groups are encouraged. Ours meets weekly and we have become close as we study and discuss God’s Word and pray for common concerns. Teasing is allowed, as are tears. Our worship and sharing last night was joyful and edifying and so it should be!

(God) put all things under (Christ’s) feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22–23)

The analogy is a body with Christ as the head and His people are His Body. The NT says it elsewhere, telling us to “hold fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God” (Colossians 2:19) and:

“. . . speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:15–16)

The longer description is in 1 Corinthians 12, listing some of the difficulties in Christian relationships using the same analogy. For instance, a foot should never say they are not a hand so are not part of the body because each person, like each body part, is necessary for proper and healthy functioning. This applies to our spiritual gifts, personalities, experiences, and the sharing of what God is doing in our lives.

Today’s devotional puts an emphasis on the church being “the fullness of him who fills all in all” meaning that the full glory of Jesus Christ is completed in the degree that His glory is reflected in us His Body. We are to complement Him in whom “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9) so that His grace and truth are made visible in this fallen world.

It’s true that we fall short far too often. Before Christ came into our lives, nothing could be more obvious. However, as Christians we now battle sin rather than giving in to it. That old life is dead to the things of God yet taunted and pulled by the ideas of the world, the lies of the devil, and mostly by a mess of old ‘I wants’ that draw us away from our Head into running our own lives. To this, God says:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:16–17)

This personal battle is overcome only by yielding to God, for we cannot resist sin any other way. Many Christians testify that the worst of it is failing to realize we have fallen into running our own lives, at least in the least conspicuous ways.

However, our Head, Lord and Savior has ways of informing His Body that there is sickness and pain among us. He uses His Word, the Holy Spirit, and being with one another to do it. Just as “iron sharpens iron” we sharpen one another. (Proverbs 27:17) That is the value of small groups and deep fellowship.

Not only that, the desire to glorify the Lord is contagious. If one person is set on complimenting Christ and adorning His teaching, others are motivated to turn from personal ambitions to do the same. We encourage one another to “let our light shine before others in such a way that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). We also encourage one another by reminding each other that God gives us all that we need to glorify the Lord. (2 Peter 1:3-12)

Jesus, Psalm 139:23–24 tells me to ask You to reveal sin that hinders me from glorifying You. I’m learning not to dread what You might show me, but also learning how each part of the Body helps me to be a stronger and more obedient Christian. Thank You for Your leadership as Head of Your church and the wonderful way that You enable us to work together in doing Your will.

MORE: What are the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:1–30? What answers those who think their gifts are less valuable that others? How am I gifted to minister to other? In what ways does that show up in my fellowship with them and my life in this world?